INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Kazakhstan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the Government of Kazakhstan concerning (a) human rights and (b) the implementation of good governance practices.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	We continually raise, bilaterally and with our EU partners, the importance of respect for human rights and good governance in Kazakhstan. When I met the Kazakh Minister for Justice last May I raised democratic reform and human rights issues, including the death penalty and conditions in Kazakh prisons. Following the parliamentary elections in September/October 2004, the EU released a statement reflecting the concerns of the OSCE Election Observers that the elections had failed to meet international standards. The concerns were also raised by our Ambassador with the Foreign Minister in October 2004. More recently, in February, along with our EU partners we raised human rights issues at an EU-Kazakhstan sub-committee meeting. This month, we supported an EU statement in Vienna expressing concern at the new law on Extremism and the recent banning of an opposition party.
	Wherever possible we also look to work with the Kazakh authorities to improve the human rights situation and have funded projects aimed at improving the conditions in prisons, preventing torture in places of detention and encouraging the abolition of the death penalty. We have an on-going dialogue with the government of Kazakhstan on transparency issues and are working closely with NGOs on this too.
	We will continue to stress the importance of human rights and good governance with the Kazakh authorities and look for opportunities to provide suitable assistance. Kazakhstan has recently been identified as a priority country under the sustainable development strand of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Global Opportunities Fund. This will provide further scope for the UK Government to support rule of law, torture prevention and death penalty abolition initiatives.

Official Residences

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the official residences for which his Department is responsible; who occupies each one; what the annual cost is of running each property; what contribution the current occupants make towards the running costs of each; what the total capital and refurbishment expenditure has been on those properties in each of the past five years; how much money was spent in each property on (a) flowers and plants, (b) wine and entertaining, (c) food, (d) telephone bills and (e) electricity and gas in 2003–04; how many (i)domestic and (ii) maintenance staff are employed at each property, broken down by post; and what the total cost of staff employment at each was in 2003–04.

Hilary Benn: DFID currently owns 11 domestic properties overseas, in Zimbabwe (3), Solomon Islands (1), and Malawi (7). DFID also provides approximately 450 UK-based staff posted overseas with commercially leased accommodation. DFID does not pay for flowers and plants, food, wine, or domestic staff, all of which are the responsibility of the occupier. Individuals receive a cost of living allowance, and where appropriate a gardening allowance, in respect of the additional costs incurred of living overseas, and these allowances vary depending on location.
	Official expenditure on business phone calls and utilities are met from individual delegated budgets but are not separately identifiable and this detailed information cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost. Similarly, information on the individual occupancy of each of the overseas properties, and the overall cost to DFID, are not held centrally and cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Publicity

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State, Department for International Development what the total expenditure by his Department on (a) advertising and (b) advertising and publicity was in (i) 1996–97, (ii)1997–98 and (iii) 2003–04; and what the estimate of cost of each will be in (A) 2004–05, (B) 2005–06, (C)2006–07 and (D) 2007–08.

Hilary Benn: pursuant to the reply, 10 February 2005, Official Report, c. 1642W
	The correct figure for expenditure on advertising for 2003–04 was £676,649 and the estimated figure for 2004–05 is £663,591.
	It was originally stated that the expenditure on advertising for 2004–05, which was then believed to be higher than that for 2003–04, reflected a higher number of posts being advertised in 2004–05. On re-examination this is incorrect. The number of recruitment competitions for which advertisements were placed was in fact slightly more in 2003–04 than the number to date in 2004–05.

TREASURY

Consultants

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total expenditure by his Department on external consultants was in (a) 1996–97 and (b) 2003–04; and what the estimated cost of employing external consultants will be in (i) 2004–05, (ii) 2005–06, (iii) 2006–07 and (iv) 2007–08.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury's spending on external consultants was as follows:
	
		£ million
		
			  Revenue Capital Total 
		
		
			 1996–97 1.03 n/a 1.03 
			 2003–04 6.16 0.44 6.60 
			 2004–05(1) 6.04 0.60 6.64 
		
	
	n/a=not available
	(1)estimated
	Until the introduction of resource accounting from 2001–02, all expenditure was classed as revenue.
	Estimates for future years are not available.
	It has come to my attention that the answer I gave to the hon. Members for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) and Stratford on Avon (Mr. Maples) on 25 October 2004, Official Report, column 1055W, was inaccurate in the following respect. The answer stated that the capital consultancy spend of the Treasury was £0.78 million in 2002–03 and £1.40 million in 2003–04. The correct figures are £0.84 million in 2002–03 and £0.44 million in 2003–04. I apologise to the hon. Members for the error.

Death Rates

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the death rate from suicide and undetermined injury has been in each year since 1986 for (a) men, (b) women and (c) in total.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr Andrew Lansley, dated 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what the death rate from suicide and undetermined injury has been in each year since 1986 for (a) men, (b) women and (c) in total. (216167)
	The most recent available figures on suicide and undetermined injury are for the calendar year 2003. The figures in the attached table show the age-standardised mortality rate for suicide and undetermined injury by sex among those aged 15 and over for the calendar years 1986 to 2003.
	
		Age-standardised mortality rate(2)for ages 15 and over from suicide(3)and injury and poisoning of undetermined intent,(4)(a) men, (b) women and (c) persons, England and Wales,1986 to 2003(5) -- Rate per 100,000
		
			 Calendar year (a) Men (b) Women (c)Persons 
		
		
			 1986 19.7 8.5 13.9 
			 1987 19.6 8.0 13.6 
			 1988 21.1 8.0 14.3 
			 1989 19.2 7.0 12.9 
			 1990 20.4 6.8 13.4 
			 1991 20.5 6.5 13.3 
			 1992 20.4 6.4 13.2 
			 1993 19.4 6.1 12.6 
			 1994 19.3 5.6 12.3 
			 1995 19.1 5.9 12.3 
			 1996 18.0 5.6 11.7 
			 1997 18.4 5.7 11.9 
			 1998 19.4 5.5 12.3 
			 1999 19.2 5.7 12.3 
			 2000 17.8 5.7 11.6 
			 2001 17.1 5.1 11.0 
			 2002 16.7 5.3 10.9 
			 2003 16.5 5.2 10.7 
		
	
	(2)Directly age-standardised to the European standard population.
	(3)The cause of death for intentional self harm was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (1CD-9) codes E950-E959for the years 1986 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2003, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84.
	(4)The cause of death for injury and poisoning of undetermined intent was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (1CD-9) codes E980-E989 excluding E9 88.8 for the years 1986 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2003, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes YJO-Y34 excluding Y33.9-where the Coroner's verdict was pending.
	(5)Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year from 1986 to 1992 and for deaths occurring in each calendar year from 1993 onwards.

Labour Statistics

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were in full-time employment in Leicester, South constituency in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Parmjit Singh Gill, dated 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about employment. (216940)
	The attached table gives estimates of those people resident in the Leicester, South parliamentary constituency who are in full-time employment for the 12-month periods ending February each year from 1997 to 2004.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey are subject to sampling variability.
	
		Full-time(6)employed people resident in theparliamentary constituency of Leicester, South
		
			 12-month period ending February each year Full-time employment(7) 
		
		
			 1997 29,000 
			 1998 33,000 
			 1999 28,000 
			 2000 27,000 
			 2001 29,000 
			 2002 34,000 
			 2003 29,000 
			 2004 24,000 
		
	
	(6)Full-time is based on respondents self assessment.
	(7)LFS estimates for local areas are particularly subject to sampling variations. Changes from year-to-year should be treated with caution.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

Labour Statistics

Angela Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in each ward of Wallasey constituency are (a) employed and (b) unemployed.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Ms Angela Eagle, dated 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about employment and unemployment in each ward of Wallasey Parliamentary Constituency. (217334)
	Regular statistics of employment and unemployment are compiled from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) on the basis of standard international definitions. For individual wards the LFS sample size is too small to provide estimates, but information at ward level is available from the 2001 Population Census. Table 1 shows the information requested for people aged 16 to 74 from these sources.
	The Office for National Statistics also compiles statistics by ward of residence for people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Table 2 gives the number of JSA claimants resident in each of the wards of Wallasey Parliamentary Constituency in January 2005.
	
		Table 1: Employment and unemployment among people aged 16–74 resident in wards of the Wallaseyparliamentary constituency, 2001 -- Number
		
			  All people Employment Unemployment 
		
		
			 Wallasey PC 59,479 32,928 2,983 
			 Leasowe 8,793 4,374 565 
			 Liscard 10,146 5,499 547 
			 Moreton 9,123 5,385 311 
			 New Brighton 10,324 5,883 516 
			 Seacombe 10,243 5,109 675 
			 Wallasey 10,850 6,678 369 
		
	
	Source:
	2001 Census of Population
	
		Table 2: JSA claimants resident in the wards of Wallasey parliamentary constituency January 2005
		
			  Claimants 
		
		
			 Wards of Wallasey PCA(8) 1,854 
			 Wallasey 195 
			 Leasowe 373 
			 Liscard 341 
			 Moreton 169 
			 New Brighton 326 
			 Seacombe 450 
		
	
	(8)Based on 1991 frozen wards
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Administrative system

Labour Statistics

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were unemployed in the Bridgwater constituency in each year since 1990.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Ian Liddell-Grainger, dated 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (217349)
	Table 1 gives estimates of the numbers of unemployed people who were resident in the Bridgwater Parliamentary Constituency, for the 12-month periods ending February 1997 to 2004, the latest period for which figures are available. Data prior to 1997 are not available.
	These estimates from Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	The Office for National Statistics also compiles statistics of people claiming Jobseeker's allowance who are resident in local areas. Table 2 gives the annual average number of Jobseeker's Allowance claimants resident in the Bridgwater Parliamentary Constituency for the years 1990 to 2004.
	
		Table 1: Unemployed people resident in the parliamentary constituency of Bridgwater
		
			 12-month period ending February Unemployed 
		
		
			 1997 3,000 
			 1998 3,000 
			 1999 3,000 
			 2000 2,000 
			 2001 2,000 
			 2002 1,000 
			 2003 3,000 
			 2004 1,000 
		
	
	Note:
	These estimates are based on very small sample sizes and are subject to a very high degree of sampling variability. Changes from year to year, especially, should be treated with caution.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey
	
		Table 2: JSA claimants resident in the parliamentaryconstituency of Bridgwater
		
			 Annual average Claimants 
		
		
			 1990 2,279 
			 1991 3,171 
			 1992 4,006 
			 1993 4,214 
			 1994 3,917 
			 1995 3,446 
			 1996 3,109 
			 1997 2,398 
			 1998 1,942 
			 1999 1,734 
			 2000 1,549 
			 2001 1,233 
			 2002 1,057 
			 2003 1,074 
			 2004 971 
		
	
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Administrative system

Labour Statistics

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) people aged 16 to 24 years, (b) men and (c) people of working age in Bridgwater constituency were economically inactive in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Ian Liddell-Grainger, dated 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about Economic Inactivity. (217397)
	The attached table gives the information requested for groups of people resident in the Bridgwater Parliamentary Constituency who were economically inactive for the twelve month periods ending in February from 1997 to 2004.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey are subject to sampling variability.
	
		Economic inactivity(9)among people resident in Bridgwater parliamentary constituency -- Number
		
			 12 months ending February each year Inactive 16–24 year olds Inactive men aged 16 and over Inactive population of working age(10) 
		
		
			 1997 2,000 12,000 12,000 
			 1998 2,000 10,000 12,000 
			 1999 3,000 10,000 15,000 
			 2000 3,000 12,000 14,000 
			 2001 2,000 11,000 13,000 
			 2002 1,000 11,000 9,000 
			 2003 2,000 9,000 8,000 
			 2004 1,000 10,000 8,000 
		
	
	(9)People who are neither In employment nor unemployed
	(10)Working age refers to men aged 16 to 64 and women 16 to 59.
	Note:
	These estimates are based on very small sample sizes and are subject to a very high degree of sampling variability. Changes from year to year, especially, should be treated with caution
	Source:
	ONS-Labour Force Survey

Labour Statistics

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of unemployment was in (a) Chorley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West in (i) 1997, (ii)2003 and (iii) 2005; what percentage were (A) male and (B) female; and what percentage were under (1) 21, (2) 30 and (3) 60 years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle, dated 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about unemployment in Chorley, Lancashire and the North West.
	Table 1 gives estimates of the levels of all unemployed people resident in the Chorley Parliamentary Constituency, County of Lancashire, and the North West Region. Proportions are given by gender, and who were: aged under 20; aged under 30; and aged under 60 for the 12-month periods ending November 1997, 2002 and 2004.Estimates have not been given for people aged under 21, as this breakdown is not available for all years.
	These estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) are, as with any statistical sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	The Office for National Statistics also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for local areas. Table 2 gives the annual average number of people resident in each of the areas specified claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) benefits. The table also shows the proportions of these totals who were aged under 20, aged under 30; and aged under 60 analysed by gender. Estimates are not available for people aged under 21.
	
		Table 1: Unemployed people resident in the Chorley parliamentary constituency, Lancashire and the North West
		
			 12-month period ending February Chorley PCA(11) Lancashire North West 
		
		
			 1997
			 Total unemployment 3,000 40,000 155,000 
			 
			 Male unemployment 50.7 62.8 62.4 
			 Female unemployment 49.3 37.2 37.6 
			 
			 Under 20 (12)— 14.9 15.8 
			 Under 30 49.4 51.9 49.9 
			 Under 60 100.0 95.6 97.6 
			 2003
			 Total unemployment (12)— 28,000 106,000 
			 
			 Male unemployment (12)— 55.0 64.3 
			 Female unemployment (12)— 45.0 35.7 
			 
			 Under 20 (12)— 19.5 20.0 
			 Under 30 (12)— 50.3 48.3 
			 Under 60 (12)— 99.5 98.8 
			 
			 2004
			 Total unemployment 1,000 29,000 94,000 
			 
			 Male unemployment (12)— 60.7 62.7 
			 Female unemployment (12)— 39.3 37.3 
			 
			 Under 20 (12)— 26.3 23.6 
			 Under 30 (12)— 47.0 46.8 
			 Under 60 100.0 98.5 97.3 
		
	
	(11)These estimates are based on very small sample sizes and are subject to a very high degree of sampling variability. Changes from year to year, especially, should be treated with caution.
	(12)Estimates not shown as they are potentially disclosive.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey
	
		Table 2: JSA claimants resident in Chorleyparliamentary constituency, Lancashire and the North West
		
			 Annual average Chorley PCA Lancashire North West 
		
		
			 1997
			 Total claimants (number) 1,680 21,645 193,065 
			 
			 Percentage
			 Male claimants 77.1 77.3 78.2 
			 Female claimants 22.9 22.7 21.7 
			 
			 Under 20 9.3 9.8 9.9 
			 Under 30 44.0 45.3 46.4 
			 Under 60 99.3 99.1 99.4 
			 
			 2003
			 Total claimants (number) 910 13,070 112,335 
			 
			 Percentage
			 Male claimants 74.2 75.9 77.0 
			 Female claimants 25.8 24.1 23.0 
			 
			 Under 20 13.6 12.8 12.5 
			 Under 30 44.7 44.8 45.1 
			 Under 60 98.5 98.8 99.1 
			 
			 2004
			 Total claimants (number) 820 11,980 99,940 
			 
			 Percentage
			 Male claimants 73.2 75.1 76.1 
			 Female claimants 26.8 24.9 23.9 
			 
			 Under 20 13.0 13.0 13.0 
			 Under 30 45.1 45.1 45.8 
			 Under 60 98.6 99.0 99.1 
		
	
	Note:
	Age breakdown is analysed by computer.
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Administrative system claims only.

Labour Statistics

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of unemployment has been in Morecambe and Lunesdale in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Ms Geraldine Smith, 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (216768)
	Table 1 gives estimates of the numbers of unemployed people who were resident in Morecambe and Lunesdale Parliamentary Constituency, for the 12-month periods ending February 1997 to 2004, the latest period for which figures are available.
	These estimates from Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	The Office for National Statistics also compiles statistics of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance who are resident in local areas. Table 2 gives the annual average number of Jobseeker's Allowance claimants resident in the Morecambe and Lunesdale Parliamentary Constituency for the years 1997 to 2004.
	
		Table 1: Unemployed people resident in Morecambe and Lunesdale parliamentary constituency
		
			 12 months ending February Number 
		
		
			 1997 4,000 
			 1998 3,000 
			 1999 4,000 
			 2000 4,000 
			 2001 4,000 
			 2002 4,000 
			 2003 2,000 
			 2004 2,000 
		
	
	Note:
	These estimates are based on very small sample sizes and are subject to a very high degree of sampling variability. Changes from year to year, especially, should be treated with caution.
	Source:
	ONS—Labour Force Survey
	
		Table 2: JSA claimants resident in Morecambe and Lunesdale parliamentary constituency
		
			 Annual average Claimants 
		
		
			 1997 2,695 
			 1998 2,306 
			 1999 2,162 
			 2000 1,926 
			 2001 1,765 
			 2002 1,592 
			 2003 1,573 
			 2004 1,342 
		
	
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Administrative system.

Labour Statistics

Lorna Fitzsimons: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of unemployment was in (a) Rochdale and (b) the North West in (i) 1997 and (ii)2004; and what percentage were (A) female and (B)male.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Ms Lorna Fitzsimons, dated 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (217300)
	The attached table gives estimates of the number and percentage of unemployed people who were resident in Rochdale and the North West, for the 12-month periods ending February 1997 and 2004.
	These estimates from Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	
		Unemployment among residents of Rochdale UA and theNorth West,12 months ending February 1997 and 2004
		
			 12 months ending Rochdale unitary  authority(13) North west region 
			 February Level Percent(14) Level Percent(14) 
		
		
			 1997 
			 Total unemployed 7,000 100 246,000 100 
			 Male 5,000 72.5 157,000 64.1 
			 Female 2,000 27.5 88,000 35.9 
			  
			 2004 
			 Total unemployed 6,000 100 155,000 100 
			 Male 4,000 61.6 95,000 61.6 
			 Female 2,000 38.4 59,000 38.4 
		
	
	(13)These estimates are based on very small sample sizes and are subject to a very high degree of sampling variability. Changes from year to year, especially, should be treated with caution.
	Source:
	ONS-Labour Force Survey

Labour Statistics

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) unemployed people and (b) unemployed young people there are in the constituency of Wellingborough; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Paul Stinchcombe, dated 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (216685)
	It is estimated that for the 12-month period ending February 2004, there were 2,000 people resident in the Wellingborough Parliamentary Constituency who were unemployed. Of those an estimated 1,000 were aged 16–24 years old. These estimates from the Labour Force Survey are subject to sampling variability and rounded to the nearest thousand.
	The Office for National Statistics also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for local areas. In December 2004, there were 1,085 residents of the Wellingborough Parliamentary Constituency who were claiming Jobseeker's Allowance. Of these, 305 were aged 18 to 24.

Regional Statistics

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which local authorities fall within Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Caroline Spelman, dated 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking which local authorities fall within NUTS (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3. (216560)
	The current relationships between local authority districts and NUTS levels 1, 2 and 3 are contained in the Gazetteer of the old and new geographies of the United Kingdom (ISBN 1 85774 298 2) published by the Office for National Statistics in 1999. The publication can be viewed on the National Statistics website, and can be downloaded in pdf format at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/gazetteer.asp
	The relationships between the local authority districts and the NUTS 1–3 levels are shown in tabular form on pages 10–40, and the full NUTS 1–3 classification with maps, is shown on pages 88–113.
	Since local government reorganisation in 1998, there have been minor changes to local authority district boundaries in Wales in April 2002 and April 2003, and in Scotland in June 2002. However, these have not impacted on the NUTS 1–3 areas because the NUTS boundaries moved to retain the relationships. There have not been any local authority district boundary changes in England since 1998 or in Northern Ireland since 1973.
	The NUTS 1–3 areas were frozen by EU Regulation in July 2003 and, in consequence, the small change in the boundary between Powys and Neath Port Talbot, effective on 1 April 2005, will result in part of Powys falling within Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot" NUTS 3 area, and within West Wales and the Valleys" NUTS 2 area. There are no other local authority district boundary changes being effected in the UK in 2005.
	The EU Regulation does not permit the NUTS classification to be amended to reflect small changes to administrative area boundaries more frequently than every 3 years but amendments can be made at lesser intervals if the administrative structure is substantially reorganised.

Regional Statistics

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which statistics relating to England the Office for National Statistics (a) collates, (b) publishes and (c) aggregates at a Government Office for Region level.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mrs. Caroline Spelman, dated 22 February 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question on which statistics relating to England, the Office for National Statistics (a) collates, (b) publishes and (c) aggregates at a Government Office for Regions level. I am replying in his absence. 216036
	ONS's practice is to provide analyses by region where this is meaningful in terms of the statistics concerned, subject to the reliability of the figures and providing that release does not create a risk of disclosure of confidential personal information. Following the establishment of Government Offices in 1994, the decision was taken in 1996 that the Government Office regions should become the standard statistical regions for England.
	It is standard practice in ONS data collection to include suitable geographic referencing in surveys of businesses and individuals, allowing statistics to be analysed and published at a variety of geographic levels including region. The bulk of ONS statistics can therefore be produced by region, including the Census of population and household and business surveys. A list of major statistical collections indicating the levels at which figures are available will be placed in the House of Commons library.
	ONS also publishes a number of statistical reports—such as Regional Trends and Region in Figures—that include regional figures obtained from other Government departments. A list of the contents at regional level will also be placed in the Library. In addition, the Neighbourhood Statistics service includes a wealth of data relating to much smaller geographic areas which can be aggregated to regional level.
	Following the 2004 report of the review by Christopher Allsopp of statistics for economic policymaking, the Office is looking to improve the information on its web site about the availability of regional and other sub-national statistics.

Pupil Absence Rates

Adrian Flook: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ask the Office for National Statistics to publish pupil absence rates by local authority ward on the Neighbourhood Statistics website.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 21 February 2005
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Adrian Flook, dated 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking if the Office for National Statistics will publish pupil absence rates by local authority ward on the Neighbourhood Statistics website. (216923)
	The Office for National Statistics is planning to publish information on pupil absence as part of the on-going development of the Neighbourhood Statistics website to support work on neighbourhood renewal. It is hoped that the data will be released in the second quarter of 2005.
	A recent review, with representatives from the Department for Education and Skills, has confirmed that data on pupil absences has the highest priority. As a result the Office for National Statistics is working with the Department for Education and Skills to make available details of authorised and unauthorised absences in primary and secondary schools for the periods 2002–03 and 2003–04. The level of detail (including the geographical level) cannot be guaranteed at this time as it would depend on whether the information would be disclosive. To protect the confidentiality of information about identifiable individuals, information will be published in strict accordance with the National Statistics Code of Practice.

Staff Identity Passes

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of producing a staff identity pass was in the Department on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many staff identity passes have been reported lost or stolen in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The cost of producing security access passes for Treasury staff is not separately identifiable. The number of passes reported lost or stolen in 2003 and 2004 was 128 and 120 respectively. Numbers for previous years are not available.

Staff Surveys

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much was paid to consultants carrying out staff surveys in the Department in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the cost of staff surveys in the Department was in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury expenditure for staff surveys were:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2002–03 24,000 
			 2003–04 58,000 
			 2004–05 38,000 
		
	
	For years prior to 2002–03 full details are not readily available. I refer the hon. Member to the responses given by my predecessor on 26 February 2004, Official Report, column. 534W and on 26 February 2003, Official Report, column. 567W for further details.
	The Treasury use consultants in carrying out surveys and all the expense relates to consultancy fees.

Suicides (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people committed suicide in Lancashire in 2003–04.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle, dated 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people committed suicide in Lancashire in 2003–2004. (216895)
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2003. In that year there were 104 suicides 1 of usual residents of Lancashire. 2
	1 Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 (intentional self-harm) and Y10-Y34 (event of undetermined intent) excluding Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending.
	2 The figure provided relates to the current county of Lancashire. This excludes the unitary authorities of Blackburn and Darwen, and Blackpool, created in 1998, which were part of the former county. The figure is the number of suicides of those who normally lived in Lancashire, rather than the number of these deaths which occurred within the county.

Swimming Pool Accidents

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many fatal accidents have occurred to (a) adults and (b) children in domestic swimming pools in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Alan Whitehead, 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how many fatal accidents have occurred to (a) adults and (b) children in domestic swimming pools in each of the last five years. (216789)
	The most recently available information is for deaths in 2003. Figures for deaths due to accidental drowning in adults and children are shown in the table below for each year from 2001 to 2003. Although accidental drowning deaths are available for years prior to 2001 it is not possible to say if these deaths occurred in domestic swimming pools.
	
		Number of deaths from accidental drowning in domestic swimming pools(14)in (a) adults aged 16 and over, and (b) children aged under 16, England and Wales, 2001 to 2003(15)
		
			  Number of deaths in Year 
			  (a) Adults (b) Children 
		
		
			 2001 0 0 
			 2002 2 1 
			 2003 1 2 
		
	
	(14)Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes W67.0 and W68.0.
	(15)Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.

Tax Credits

Bill Tynan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what monitoring his Department is carrying out to ensure that the Tax Credit Office liaises with those individuals who are required to repay overpayments and who await the outcome of their application concerning the reconsideration of recovery of tax credits, to ensure that the repayments are affordable;
	(2)  whether the Inland Revenue liaises with individuals who have accrued overpayments of tax credits in order to agree a level of affordable repayment.

Stephen Timms: The Inland Revenue regularly assesses and reviews its procedures for recovering tax credit overpayments. Their Code of Practice 26 What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?" explains that where a claimant has been paid too much they will normally be expected to pay back the overpayment. It describes a number of measures the Revenue has put in place to protect against hardship being caused by the recovery of an overpayment. A copy is available on the Inland Revenue website at http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/leaflets/cop26.htm

Tax Exempt Savings

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1) if he will list increases to the premium limit of tax exempt savings plans since 1992;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the Treasury of raising premiums of tax exempt savings plans to (a) £600 per annum and (b) £1,200 per annum.

Stephen Timms: The premium limit for tax exempt savings plans was increased from the 1992 level to the current level on 1 May 1995, the day on which the Finance Act 1995 was passed.
	The estimated current cost of tax-exempt savings plans, with an annual premium limit of £300 is around £70 million per year and in recent years this cost has been increasing at an annual rate of about 10 per cent.
	Increasing the limit to £600 or £1,200 per annum would potentially cost the Exchequer an extra £30 million or £120 million per year respectively in the long run. Doubling the limit would not necessarily double the cost because many tax-exempt savings plan customers do not save at the current maximum.

Women (Dismissals/Redundancies)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many women were (a) dismissed and (b) made redundant in each year between 1997 and 2004.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Keith Vaz, dated 22 February 2005
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about redundancies and dismissals of women in the UK between 1997 and 2004. (215474)
	The attached table gives estimates of those women dismissed or made redundant in the 12-month periods ending in November each year for the years 1997 to 2004. Estimates are from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) in which respondents are asked about whether they have been dismissed or made redundant in the three months prior to their survey interview.
	As with any statistical sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling variability.
	
		Women who were dismissed or made redundant(16) -- Number
		
			 12 months ending November Dismissed Made Redundant 
		
		
			 1997 50,000 216,000 
			 1998 48,000 227,000 
			 1999 52,000 250,000 
			 2000 46,000 254,000 
			 2001 36,000 246,000 
			 2002 36,000 259,000 
			 2003 35,000 222,000 
			 2004 38,000 208,000 
		
	
	(16)Based on responses to the LFS about dismissals and redundancies experienced in the three months prior to being interviewed.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

HEALTH

General Practitioners

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners in the NHS have lists closed to new patients.

John Hutton: The Department does not collect data on the number of practices with closed lists. Since 1997 there are 3,169 more GPs working in the NHS and spending on primary care is set to increase under the new GMS contract from £6.1 billion to £8 billion by 2005–06—a 33 per cent. increase.

General Practitioners

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines he issues on standardisation of computer equipment used by general practitioners.

John Hutton: Requirements For Accreditation" (RFA) specify a core set of requirements for primary care computer systems which all general practitioner systems must be capable of performing. The RFA process, first introduced in April 1993, is operated by the NHS Information Authority, which is the sole provider of accreditation testing services.

General Practitioners

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of general practitioners are women in (a) England and (b) the area covered by Durham and Tees Valley strategic health authority.

Melanie Johnson: The latest figures available—30 June 2004—show that 38 per cent. of all general practitioners 1 in England are women. In the area covered by Durham and Tees Valley strategic health authority, 34 per cent. of general practitioners are women.
	1 All practitioners (excluding retainers, registrars and locums) include general medical service (GMS) unrestricted principals, personal medical service (PMS) contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other and flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners.
	Source
	Department of Health GMS and PMS statistics.

General Practitioners

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to inform general practitioners about additional training requirements necessary to assist the delivery of patient choice; how this training will be organised; and from what sources the funding of this training will be drawn.

John Hutton: The Department published a delivery framework for the implementation of choice and booking at the point of general practitioner referral in August 2004. The framework is intended to support primary care trusts (PCTs) in fulfilling their responsibility for implementing patient choice and booking in local health communities, including ensuring appropriate training and support for primary care staff. The delivery framework is available at www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk.
	Material has been made available nationally at www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk to help PCTs deliver training. It is for PCTs to determine locally the funding for training from within the financial allocations made by the Department. The Department allocates revenue funding to PCTs on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. The Department has also made available an additional £44 million annually in 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06 to support PCTs in implementing new booking systems that support patient choice.

Dentistry

Nick Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on NHS dentistry.

Rosie Winterton: We are undertaking the most far-reaching reforms of NHS dentistry since 1948, supported by an additional £368 million. To ensure that more people can see a NHS dentist when and where they need to, the equivalent of 1,000 dentists will be recruited by October 2005.

Dentistry

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were registered with a NHS dentist in (a) each Government office region and (b) each parliamentary constituency in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested on registrations by Government regional office is shown in the table.
	
		Registrations by Government regional office—September 1997 to September 2004
		
			 Regional code Regional office name  Data GDS contract PDS contract 
		
		
			 Y41 North East Cluster 1997 4,566,672 0 
			   1998 4,112,309 0 
			   1999 4,117,129 0 
			   2000 4,192,609 336 
			   2001 4,142,997 3,895 
			   2002 4,112,027 15,250 
			   2003 4,129,295 20,881 
			   2004 3,708,273 335,413 
			  
			 Y42 North West and 1997 6,985,233 0 
			  West Midlands 1998 6,143,868 0 
			   1999 6,136,972 61,253 
			   2000 6,153 ,516 87,919 
			   2001 6,074,349 104,390 
			   2002 6,028,081 136,535 
			   2003 5,999,217 140,830 
			   2004 4,980,764 1,093,200 
			  
			 Y43 Eastern Cluster 1997 5,306,335 0 
			   1998 4,782,355 0 
			   1999 4,876,903 2,371 
			   2000 5,010,484 4,329 
			   2001 4,943,102 5,178 
			   2002 4,953,229 22,740 
			   2003 4,973,857 28,536 
			   2004 4,807,586 96,117 
			  
			 Y44 Southern Cluster 1997 6,631,532 0 
			   1998 5,823,594 0 
			   1999 5,873,973 3,261 
			   2000 5,971,245 6,686 
			   2001 5,927,497 16,261 
			   2002 5,844,976 52,218 
			   2003 5,844,315 56,428 
			   2004 5,259,470 326,183 
			  
			 Y45 London Cluster 1997 3,614,103 0 
			   1998 3,005,724 0 
			   1999 2,974,168 41,001 
			   2000 3,025,344 42,992 
			   2001 3,001,930 46,084 
			   2002 2,982,202 38,960 
			   2003 3,030,985 40,033 
			   2004 2,906,464 97,666 
			  
			  Total 1997 27,103,875 0 
			   1998 23,867,850 0 
			   1999 23,979,145 107,886 
			   2000 24,353,198 142,262 
			   2001 24,089,875 175,808 
			   2002 23,920,515 265,703 
			   2003 23,977,669 286,708 
			   2004 21,662,557 1,948,579 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.The drop in registrations between September 1997 and September 1998 is mostly attributable to the reduction in the re-registration period from two years to 15 months.
	2.The figures excludes patients treated in dental access centres who are not registered. In 2004 there were some 375,000 episodes of treatment in dental access centres.

Dentistry

Gerry Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many dentists ceased providing NHS dental services in each of the last three years (a) in England and (b) within Durham and Chester-le-Street primary care trust;
	(2)  how many NHS patients were registered with a dentist in each of the last three years in (a) England and (b) Durham and Chester-le-Street primary care trust;
	(3)  how may NHS patients were unable to register with a dentist in each of the last three years in (a) England and (b) Durham and Chester-le-Street primary care trust.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not held on the number of dentists who ceased providing national health service dental services altogether. The Office of Fair Trading report, The private dentistry market in the UK", published in March 2003, estimated that out of 11,000 dental practices nationally, only about 210 are totally private.
	The following table shows the number of dental patients registered with a general dental service (GDS) or personal dental service (PDS) dentist in England, and Durham and Chester-le-Street primary care trust area, as at 30 September each year.
	
		
			  England Durham and Chester-le-Street PCT 
		
		
			 2002 24,217,483 65,122 
			 2003 24,295,652 65,504 
			 2004 23,639,904 58,962 
		
	
	Registrations in the GDS lapse if the patient has not returned to the dentist within 15 months. These figures do not include patients who get dental treatment without registration, for example in dental access centres.
	Information is not available on patients who are unable to register with a dentist, but we are undertaking a wide range of initiatives to improve access to NHS dentistry. In the Durham and Chester-le-Street PCT, a local dental access scheme has been developed at a cost of £65,770 from central funds. Under the scheme, 10practices, which were not previously taking on new NHS patients, have been funded to provide an agreed number of new patient contacts. From September 2004, the scheme has delivered 1,000 additional NHS appointments and expects shortly to deliver a further 300 appointments. As a result, between late September and November, all patients seeking a NHS dentist should have been able to access occasional NHS dental treatment and, in addition, some were able to register with a NHS dentist.

Dentistry

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many unfilled dental clinical academic staff vacancies there are in dental schools; how he plans to assist in filling them; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The latest information available centrally is from a survey conducted in 2001, which found that, out of 476 academic posts in the 15 dental schools in the United Kingdom, 74, or 16 per cent., were unfilled. We are undertaking a major programme of investment in dental education. We are to fund an extra 170 extra undergraduate dental training places in English dental schools from October 2005. The funds, which build up to £29 million per annum by 2010–11, include provision for the creation of more clinical academic posts and enhancing the terms of service for staff working in dental schools. We are also working jointly with the Department for Education and Skills to address issues relating to the recruitment and retention of academic staff.

South Gloucestershire PCT

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the funding of South Gloucestershire primary care trust.

Stephen Ladyman: The latest round of revenue allocations covering 2006–07 and 2007–08 was announced on 9 February 2005.
	South Gloucestershire primary care trust will receive funding of £250 million for 2006–07 and £275 million for2007–08. These allocations include increases of £21 million, or 9.1 per cent., for 2006–07 and £25 million, or 10 per cent., for 2007–08.

New Community Hospitals

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's policies on the construction of new or replacement community hospitals.

John Hutton: Decisions on service provision are best made at a local level, which is why Keeping the NHS Local" was published in February 2003. This guidance covers service expansion and redesign. The NHS will need to follow it when considering the role of community hospitals.

New Community Hospitals

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the criteria for establishing community hospitals.

John Hutton: Decisions on establishing community hospitals are a local matter. The Department has not therefore set any criteria for their establishment.

Foundation Hospitals (England)

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many three star hospitals there are in England; and how many have applied for foundation status.

John Hutton: 76 acute and specialist trusts were awarded three stars in the 2003–04 national health service performance ratings last July.
	Of these, 24 trusts submitted a preliminary application for NHS Foundation Trust status last November as part of wave two For the first time, invitations for foundation status were also extended to Mental Health trusts and eight out of 10 eligible three star rated trusts submitted a preliminary application.

Private Sector Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the proportion of NHS funding which was spent purchasing private sector services in 2003–04.

John Hutton: The national health service spent £3.3 billion on independent sector healthcare services in 2003–04. This represents approximately 5 per cent. of the £61 billion planned NHS expenditure for 2003–04.

Wycombe Hospital

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received about Wycombe hospital.

Rosie Winterton: Since October 2004, the Department has received several written representations from the hon. Member and members of the public about Wycombe hospital.

Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of people employed directly by the Dorset and Somerset strategic health authority.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 3 February 2005, Official Report, column 1124W by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Health to the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne).

Ambulances

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) ambulances and (b) paramedic staff the Lancashire Ambulance Trust has; and what the average time taken to respond to a 999 call was in each Lancashire district in the last period for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: Performance information is available by ambulance service and may be found in the statistical bulletin, Ambulance Services, England: 2003–04", a copy of which is available in the Library. It is also available on the Department's website at http://www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0411 .htm.
	Information relating to the numbers of paramedic staff is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Headcount 
		
		
			 Total qualified ambulance staff 552 
			 Manager 23 
			 Paramedic 198 
			 Ambulance personnel 331 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health non-medical workforce census.

Burns Unit (Kent)

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision he has planned for specialist burns unit provision for patients in Kent; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The national burn care group, which is considering options for reconfiguration of specialist burns services across England and Wales, is being led by the national health service. Decisions have not yet been made regarding the development of burn care centres; any proposals for change will be submitted to a full public consultation process, probably in the summer of 2005. This is a process is being developed by and for the NHS and the Department has no formal role at this time, though we are kept in touch with developments.
	Currently, people in Kent have access to specialised burn services at the Queen Victoria hospital, East Grinstead, Sussex, which has historically served the population of Kent, although, since the Dartford Crossing has been open, it is now easier for people from some parts of Kent to go to Chelmsford.
	There are also specialised burn services in the following locations in South East England:
	Chelsea and Westminster hospital (the only specialist service within London).
	Broomfield hospital, Chelmsford, Essex.
	Mount Vernon hospital, Northwood, Middlesex.
	Stoke Mandeville hospital, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

Catering Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on (a) entertainment lunches involving civil servants and guests and (b) working lunches, in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Expenditure arises on hospitality and entertainment only in the context of promoting the Department's business objectives. All such expenditure is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting".
	There has been no expenditure on entertainment lunches involving civil servants and guests. The amount spent by the Department on working lunches since 1997 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Amount (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 379,089 
			 1998–99 493,024 
			 1999–2000 607,370 
			 2000–01 580,449 
			 2001–02 523,338 
			 2002–03 633,875 
			 2003–04 863,404

Cervical Cancer

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in the roll-out of the liquid-based cytology system for cervical cancer screening in each of the strategic health authority areas since April 2004.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 21 February 2005
	Following the evaluation of a Government-funded pilot study of liquid based cytology (LBC), National Institute for Clinical Excellence concluded in October 2003 that this new technology should be rolled out across the NHS cervical screening programme. It will take five years to implement LBC across England as all staff, who read the tests or take the tests will have to be retrained. The Department is providing £1.2 million for 2003–04 and £6 million for 2004–05 to kick-start this process. The nine regional cytology training schools in England are being converted to train the rest of the programme. As of January 2005, eight out of the nine training schools in England had been trained or had a specific date to begin their retraining. The ninth is awaiting a local decision on which system they will use.

Children's Burns Unit (Newcastle)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the capacity is of the children's burns unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle; and what the patient throughput was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Co-Proxamol

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what alternative drugs will be available for prescription in place of co-proxamol following its withdrawal by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

Rosie Winterton: There are a number of alternatives for managing painful conditions and the committee on safety of medicines (CSM) has issued advice on pain management options to assist prescribers, together with individual patients, in choosing appropriate pain management strategies. This guidance also refers to a number of sources of additional advice, including the British National Formulary, which is sent to all doctors and pharmacists.
	The CSM's overview of alternative analgesic options was communicated through the Chief Medical Officer's Public Health Link to all health care professionals accompanying the communication on the withdrawal of co-proxamol and is available on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's website www.mhra.gov.uk Copies have been placed in the Library.

Departmental Policies

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the South Thanet constituency, the effects of changes to the Department's policy since 1997 on the South Thanet constituency;
	(2)  if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the Dover constituency, the effects of changes to the Department's policies since 1997 on the Dover constituency.

Rosie Winterton: The Government have put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the South Thanet and Dover areas.
	For example:
	At the end of November 2004, the number of people waiting more than nine months for inpatient treatment within East Kent Coastal Primary Care Trust (PCT) has fallen to zero from 834 in June 2002.
	At the end of September 2004, the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for outpatient treatment within East Kent Coastal PCT has fallen to 341 from 1,033 in June 2002.
	Between September 1999 and June 2004, the number of consultants at East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust has increased from 201 to 254. The number of nurses increased from 2,151 in September 1999 to 2,461 in September 2003.
	Figures for December 2004 show that 100 per cent, of patients within East Kent Coastal PCT are able to be offered an appointment with a primary care professional within two working days.
	In the South Thanet local authority (LA) area, death rates from cancer per 100,000 population have fallen from 214.2 in 1997 to 210.1 in 2003. In the Dover local authority area, death rates from cancer per 100,000 have fallen from 204.1 in 1997 to 198.1 in 2003.
	In the South Thanet LA area, death rates from coronary heart disease per 100,000 population have fallen from 149.3 in 1997 to 122.5 in 2003. In the Dover LA area, death rates from coronary heart disease per100,000 population have fallen from 149.8 in 1997 to 122.5 in 2003.
	East Kent Coastal PCT has received an allocation of £256.5 million in 2004–05. In the recently announced PCT allocations for 2006–07 and 2007–08, East Kent Coastal PCT will receive an increase of £27.4 million in 2006–07 and 32.1 million in 2007–08. This is a total increase of 18.7 per cent. over the two years. By 2007–08, East Kent Coastal PCT will receive an allocation of £362.5 million.

Departmental Policies

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, with statistical information relating as closely as possible to the constituency, the effect of his Department's actions and policies on Blackpool, South constituency since (a) 1997 and (b) 2001.

Melanie Johnson: The Government have put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Blackpool South constituency.
	For example:
	At the end of November 2004, the number of people waiting more than nine months for in-patient treatment within Blackpool Primary Care Trust (PCT) has fallen to zero, from 342 in June 2002.
	At the end of September 2004, the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for out-patient treatment within Blackpool PCT has fallen to 260, from 724 in June 2002.
	In June 2003, at Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust, 87.9 per cent. of patients spent less than four hours in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. Figures for September 2004 show an improvement to 93. per cent.
	The latest figures, September 2004, show that all urgent general practitioner referrals with suspected cancer are seen by a specialist within two weeks.
	Figures for December 2004 show that all patients within Blackpool PCT are able to be offered an appointment with a GP within two working days and a primary care professional within one working day.
	In 1997–98 the Lancashire Ambulance Service was able to attend 66.1 per cent. of category A emergency calls within eight minutes. During 2003–04, 77.7 per cent. of category A emergency calls were attended within eight minutes.
	Work has started on a 5.8 million twin theatre day case unit at Blackpool Victoria hospital. This is due for completion in March 2006. The new facility will enable the hospital to increase the number of operations it carries out as day cases and will help cut waiting times for patients.
	A new £45 million regional cardiac centre is being developed at the Blackpool Victoria hospital, which is scheduled to open in 2006. This will increase the number of beds by 38 and provide three additional operating theatres. There will also be a new 10-bed high dependency unit.
	A second computed tomography scanner became operational at the Blackpool Victoria hospital in April 2004, enabling an extra 4,600 scans to be undertaken each year.
	Fleetwood hospital is to undergo a £2.6 million redevelopment, providing additional x-ray equipment, treatment rooms, a new endoscopy unit and a new main entrance to the hospital. This is due to be completed in June 2005.

Digital Hearing Aids

John Butterfill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects on patients of waiting times for assessments for digital hearing aids in Bournemouth west; what proposals he has to help the Bournemouth teaching primary care trust to reduce this time; what steps he is taking to increase the number of audiologists; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Information relating to the waiting times for patients waiting for assessments for digital hearing aids is not collected centrally.
	In line with our policy of Shifting the Balance of Power", it is now for primary care trusts (PCTs,) in partnership with strategic health authorities (SHAs) and other local stakeholders, to plan, develop and improve services for local people including audiology services.
	I am advised by Dorset and Somerset SHA that the Bournemouth PCT is making good progress with reducing waiting lists by increasing in-house activity, and using private providers under the public private partnership scheme.
	More generally, the modernising hearing aids services (MHAS) project is being managed on behalf of the Department by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf. Since September 2000, the MHAS project has been retaining audiologists and generally modernised services in a phased way to enable them to offer digital hearing aids to people who would benefit from them. The fourth and final wave should be complete by the end of March 2005.

Drug Addiction/Treatment

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has gathered on the relative addictiveness of (a) nicotine, (b) heroin and (c) methadone; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Department has not commissioned any specific research to gather information on the relative addictiveness of these drugs. Relative addictiveness depends on dose, route of consumption and other factors, and varies for each drug across the components that make up the syndrome of dependence.

Drug Addiction/Treatment

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated by the Somerset drugs service in each of the last eight years.

Rosie Winterton: Data is not available prior to 2003–04.
	Data published by the National Drug Monitoring System, indicates that 1,118 people were in contact with structured drug treatment services in Somerset in 2003–04.

Enbrel

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 3 February 2005, Official Report, column 1117W, on Enbrel, if he will refer the drug Enbrel to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in relation to its prescription in cases of juvenile arthritis.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued appraisal 2002/016 on 22 March 2002, which addressed the use of Etanercept (Enbrel) for the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis and Etanercept and Infliximab for rheumatoid arthritis. Further information is available on the NICE website at www.nice.org.uk.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Pharmaceutical Committee met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The pharmaceutical committee met on 19 January 2004 and 8 and 9 November 2004, under the Irish and Netherlands presidencies. There were no meetings during the Italian presidency from 1 July to 31 December 2003. On both occasions, the meetings were held in Brussels and the United Kingdom was represented by at least one senior official from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
	I refer the hon. Member to the series of Command Papers on prospects for the European Union—Cm 6174 laid in April 2004, Cm 6310 laid in September 2004 and Cm 6450 laid in February 2005, which cover the periods of the above presidencies and are available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk/commandpapers.

Forensic Medical Examiners

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many female doctors are forensic medical examiners at the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS) : medical staff in Lancashire Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Trust within the pathology group of specialties—as at 30 September 2003 -- Number (headcount)
		
			 
			   of which: 
			  All staff Male Female 
		
		
			 All staff 18 9 9 
			 of which: 
			 Consultant 13 7 6 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census

HIV/AIDS

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will exempt HIV treatment and care from the regulations applying charges to those not entitled to free NHS care.

John Hutton: Diagnostic testing for HIV and associated counselling is free to all, but the national health service (charges to overseas visitors) Regulations 1989 (as amended) have always specified that subsequent treatment for HIV, should the test prove positive, is chargeable if the patient is a chargeable overseas visitor. There are no plans to change that.

HIV/AIDS

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2005,Official Report, column 883W, for what reasons only initial diagnostic testing and associated counselling given to those suffering from HIV/AIDS are exempt from charges made to those who are not ordinarily resident in the UK.

John Hutton: It has always been the case that only diagnostic testing for HIV and associated counselling is free of charge to all under the provisions of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989 (as amended). Subsequent treatment should be charged for if the patient is a chargeable overseas visitor. The greatest public health risk is from those who are unaware that they are infected with HIV, so it makes sense that diagnosis, and the advice that needs to go with it, should be free to all.

Hospital Infections

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what is his Department's procedure for the use of new infection control technologies in the NHS following a recommendation from its Rapid Review Panel;
	(2)  what plans he has to publish the minutes of the meetings of the Rapid Review Panel;
	(3)  how many products have been recommended to his Department by the Rapid Review Panel for (a) development for use in the NHS or (b) trial in an NHS clinical setting;
	(4)  if he will publish the list of those products and treatments reviewed by the Rapid Review Panel since December 2003 that are now being used for infection control or cleaning purposes in NHS facilities;
	(5)  if he will publish a list detailing the number and name of all products which have submitted applications to the Rapid Review Panel for use in fighting infection in the NHS since the Panel's establishment;
	(6)  how many submissions the Rapid Review Panel has received for its review of products to aid cleanliness and fight infections in the NHS; when each submission was received; and for each submission, when the Rapid Review Panel reported its results.

Melanie Johnson: The Health Protection Agency rapid review panel assesses all products for which applications have been received from companies, provided the product falls within the panel's remit. There are currently 58 product reports available on the Health Protection Agency's website, together with the minutes of the panel meetings and a list of products reviewed by the panel. This information can be found at www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/rapid_review/. A further 25 applications received since 13 January will be reviewed later this month. Information on those products awaiting review is not publicly available as information provided by applicants is regarded as commercial in confidence until the applications have been assessed.
	Of the 58 reports available on the panel's website so far, 19 contain recommendations for further research and development before the product is ready for evaluation and 10 contain recommendations for in-use evaluation/trial in a national health service clinical setting. Two products have been identified as showing benefits that should be available to NHS bodies to use as appropriate. These products are being considered for inclusion in future workplans for the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. Information on which products are currently used in NHS facilities is not collected centrally.
	Where the rapid review panel suggests further work, it is generally the company's responsibility to organise this; the panel itself does not organise product evaluations. Some evaluations may be performed as part of normal PASA tendering exercises. Also, some products may be included in the Department's research and development programme for healthcare associated infection if it is thought they may have a particular impact in a priority area.

Lancashire Teaching Hospital

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies for (a) doctors, (b) consultants and (c) nurses there are at the Lancashire teaching hospital; and for how long each vacancy has been unfilled.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		Three month vacancy rate and number for all doctors (excluding doctors in training) inLancashire teaching hospitals NHS trust, March 2004
		
			 RXN Lancashire teaching hospitals NHS trust Three month vacancy rate percentage Three month vacancy number Staff in post (whole-time equivalent) Staff in post (headcount) 
		
		
			  All 0.0 0 234 265 
			  Consultant 0.0 0 165 169 
			  Other doctors (excluding doctors in training) 0.0 0 68 96 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole-time equivalents).
	2.Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.
	3.Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	4.Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	5.* where the sum of the staff in post and number of vacancies is less then 10.
	6.—where the sum of the staff in post and number of vacancies is 0.
	Source:
	Department of Health Medical and Dental vacancy survey.
	
		Department of Health vacancies survey, March 2004—NHS three month vacancies in the Lancashire teaching hospital NHS trust for qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff; three month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post
		
			   March 2004 September 2003 
			   Three month vacancy rate percentage Three month vacancy number Staff in post (whole-time equivalent) Staff in post (headcount) 
		
		
			  England 2.6 7,508 291,925 364,692 
			  Of which: 
			 RXN Lancashire teaching hospitals NHS trust 0.0 0 1,533 1,928 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March each year.
	2.Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
	3.Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.
	4.Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	5.Staff in post data is from the Non-Medical Workforce Census.
	Sources:
	Department of Health Vacancies Survey
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census

Incubators (North-east)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many baby incubators are available at each relevant hospital in the north-east; how many were available in (a) 1997 and (b) 2001; and what plans there are to increase the number.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Lancashire Ambulance Trust

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans Lancashire Ambulance Trust has to merge with other ambulance trusts in the North West.

Melanie Johnson: There are no plans for Lancashire Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust to merge with other ambulance trusts in the North West area.

Mental Health

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people he estimates suffer from Alzheimer's disease in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley and South Ribble Primary Care Trust; and which PCTs in Lancashire provide treatment with the drug Ebixa.

Melanie Johnson: The number of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease is not collected centrally. Information on which primary care trusts (PCTs) are currently prescribing Memantine (Ebixa) is not held centrally. Ebixa is not currently covered by existing National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance. PCTs, when considering the funding of such treatment, are expected to use their existing prescribing arrangements and to consider all the evidence available to them on clinical effectiveness.

Mental Health

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) medical staff and (b) non-medical staff employed in mental health services there have been in the NHS in England in each year since 1986, broken down by (i) general psychiatrists, (ii) child and adolescent psychiatrists, (iii) forensic psychiatrists, (iv)learning disabilities consultants, (v) old age psychiatrists, (vi) psychotherapists, (vii) psychiatric nurses, (viii) clinical psychologists, (ix) art, music and drama therapists, (x) occupational therapists, (xi) social workers and (xii) other.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): medical consultants(17)within the psychiatry group of specialities by speciality, England(18) -- Number (headcount)
		
			  1996 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 
		
		
			 Psychiatry group 1780 1,802 1,899 1,912 2,010 2,025 2,036 2,071 2,099 2,267 
			 Of which:   
			 Child and adolescent psychiatry 348 339 349 343 373 364 340 363 358 377 
			 Forensic psychiatry 47 40 68 50 72 71 80 82 82 93 
			 General Psychiatry(19) 1147 1,186 1,225 1,190 1,215 1,215 1,246 1,230 1,246 1,322 
			 Learning disabilities(20) 157 157 166 174 172 167 169 169 159 152 
			 Old age psychiatry 0 0 0 65 83 104 112 136 164 214 
			 Psychotherapy 91 80 91 90 96 104 89 91 90 109 
		
	
	
		
			  1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 June 2004 
		
		
			 Psychiatry group 2,306 2,447 2,627 2,808 2,904 2,959 2,979 3,229 3,483 
			 Of which:  
			 Child and adolescent psychiatry 411 445 462 486 481 486 459 505 541 
			 Forensic psychiatry 98 123 148 152 162 199 187 223 231 
			 General Psychiatry(19) 1,293 1,365 1,464 1,569 1,647 1,649 1,700 1,778 1,911 
			 Learning disabilities(20) 159 161 172 181 184 177 182 199 194 
			 Old age psychiatry 234 244 268 311 328 348 351 414 484 
			 Psychotherapy 111 109 113 109 102 100 100 110 122 
		
	
	(17)The data for 1986 shows consultants and shmo with allowance.
	(18)Data as at 30 September each year except 2004 which is at 30 June.
	(19) The figure for 1986 shows the number of consultants and shmo with allowance in the specialty of Mental Illness'.
	(20) The figure for 1986 shows the number of consultants and shmo with allowance in the specialty of Mental Handicap'.
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census
	
		MHS hospital and community health services: Non-medical staff working in the specified areas of work in England as at30 September each year
		
			  1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 
		
		
			 Total of specified staff(21) 95,301 94,779 96,552 97,525 60,013 61,646 61,882 58,641 57,567 
			   
			 Mental health nurses(22) 88,007 87,013 88,227 88,678 51,188 52,436 51,917 48,218 46,812 
			 Qualified learning disabilities nurses n/a n/a n/a n/a 14,177 14,166 13,276 12,563 11,817 
			 Qualified psychiatry nurses n/a n/a n/a n/a 37,011 38,270 38,641 35,655 34,995 
			 Psychotherapists 201 209 207 211 (23)— 223 289 280 290 
			 Clinical psychologists(23) 1,848 1,985 2,120 2,263 1,325 1,919 2,186 2,381 2,493 
			 Art/music/drama therapists(24) 206 228 355 381 389 425 450 468 482 
			 Qualified occupational therapists 5,039 5,344 5,643 5,992 6,241 6,643 7,040 7,294 7,490 
			 Qualified social services staff n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Total of specified staff(21) 66,005 66,728 66,898 66,416 67,377 68,538 72,190 74,773 77,779 
			   
			 Mental health nurses(22) 50,994 50,932 50,220 48,877 48,922 49,026 51,315 52,204 53,678 
			 Qualified learning disabilities nurses 12,504 12,105 11,111 10,736 9,923 9,497 9,776 9,550 8,950 
			 Qualified psychiatry nurses 38,490 38,827 39,109 38,141 38,999 39,529 41,539 42,654 44,728 
			   
			 Psychotherapists 391 442 489 535 574 653 745 867 948 
			 Clinical psychologists(23) 3,330 3,658 4,038 4,408 4,572 5,032 5,514 6,092 6,757 
			 Art/music/drama therapists(24) 585 595 633 621 646 698 687 742 764 
			 Qualified occupational therapists 10,705 11,101 11,518 11,975 12,663 13,129 13,914 14,749 15,391 
			 Qualified social services staff 0 0 n/a n/a n/a n/a 15 119 241 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	(21)Includes unqualified staff which cannot be separately identified.
	(22)Includes unqualified staff for 1986–89 which cannot be separately identified.
	(23)Includes unqualified staff for 1986–89 which cannot be separately identified.
	(24)Includes unqualified staff for 1986–1994 which cannot be separately identified.
	Note:
	A new system of occupation coding for NHS non-medical staff was introduced in 1995. The new codes classify staff according to what they do rather than the terms and conditions under which they are employed i.e. national payscales. Figures based on new occupation codes are not directly comparable with those based on the old payscale classification.
	Source:
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census

Midwives (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives work at (a) Chorley and (b) Preston hospital.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not available in the format requested. At 30 September 2003, there were 149 midwives working at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals National Health Service Trust.
	Source
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census

Minor Injuries Units

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on minor injuries unit hours of opening.

Rosie Winterton: Opening hours for minor injury units are a matter for local determination. It is up to primary care trusts to assess local need and demand for urgent care services and ensure that services respond to patient need.

MRSA

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) advice has been given and (b) precautions are taken against the spread of MRSA in ambulances; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: Advice on appropriate precautions to reduce the spread of infection has been published by the Department in the health service circular 2000–02 and in Winning Ways—Working together to reduce hospital acquired infection in England (December 2003). All healthcare organisations, including ambulance trusts, should have systems in place to minimise the risk to patients from healthcare associated infections as required by Standards for Better Health (July 2004). Infection control policies and any particular precautions for reducing the spread of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are a matter for individual trusts.
	The Ambulance Service Association published guidelines on infection prevention and control in June 2004. Additionally, the training and common core syllabus for ambulance personnel covers infection control, including reference to MRSA.

Multiple Myeloma

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is his policy that patients suffering from rare cancers, with particular reference to multiple myeloma, should receive equal priority within the NHS as those suffering from more common forms of the disease.

Melanie Johnson: The Government are committed to providing high quality cancer services across the country, irrespective of cancer type. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has been commissioned to continue the improving outcomes series to ensure there is a comprehensive package of cancer services guidance covering all cancers.
	The NICE improving outcomes in haematological cancers guidance was published in October 2003 and addresses multiple myeloma.

NHS Bank

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2005, Official Report, columns 556–7W, on the NHS Bank, how the budget of £732 million will be spent.

John Hutton: The overall budget managed by the NHS Bank on behalf of the Department in 2004–05 has now increased to £746 million.
	A breakdown of planned expenditure is shown in the table.
	
		NHS Bank planned expenditure 2004–05
		
			 Area of expenditure Amount (£ million) 
		
		
			 Special assistance 70 
			 Strategic health authority managed allocation 120 
			 Impairments/accelerated depreciation funding 258 
			 Private finance initiative revenue costs 15 
			 General and personal medical services quality and outcomes framework achievement 283 
			 Total 746

NHS Recruitment

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses have been recruited to work in the NHS from (i) Sub-Saharan Africa and (ii) India.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally. Healthcare professionals who work in the United Kingdom have to be registered with the relevant professional body. In this case, the professional bodies are the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the General Medical Council (CMC). Both professional bodies produce a statistical breakdown of their register, which can be found on their respective websites at www.nmc-uk.org and www.gmc-uk.org.
	It is important to note that healthcare professionals registered with the CMC and the NMC may not come to work in the UK and those that do may not work within the national health service.

NHS Staff

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost to the NHS of paying the salary of (a) a radiographer and (b) a radiologist was in the last year for which figures are available.

John Hutton: holding answer 3 February 2005
	The average cost of a radiographer in England is shown in the table. We cannot provide information regarding the earnings of radiologists as we do not hold medical and dental earnings data by specialty.
	
		Average cost of a radiographer in 2002 in England
		
			  
		
		
			 Mean cost of radiographer to national health service (25)£30,000 
		
	
	(25)Figure rounded to nearest £100.
	Note:
	Average cost is the average earnings of a Radiographer grossed up by 12 per cent., to represent on-costs". The NHS earnings information is based on payroll data taken from a sample of approximately 50 per cent. of trusts during August 2002.
	Source:
	Department of Health NHS Earnings Survey

NHS University Courses

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2005 to the hon. Member for Aberavon (Dr. Francis), Official Report, columns 183–184W, on the NHS university, which of the NHS university courses are accredited; by which bodies they have been accredited; and what the length was of each course.

John Hutton: The NHS university (NHSU) was set up to provide a range of learning opportunities for all levels of staff across the national health service. Its courses run to meet specific learning and skills needs.
	The following table shows are the NHSU courses which are currently accredited, by which body and the length of each course.
	
		
			 Name of course Accredited by Length of course 
		
		
			 1. First Contact Care Sheffield Hallam university i) Postgraduate Diploma—one year ii) M.Sc.—two years 
			
			 2. Managing Patient Complaints Middlesex university 180 hours of study 
			
			 3. Managing Health and Social Care Certificate Programme Programmes based on four modules of open learning, currently used and accredited locally by 12 higher education institutes (HEIs) and nationally by the Institute of Health Care Management 600 hours of study in 12–14 months 
			
			 4. Managing Health and Social Care Diploma Programme Programmes based on six modules of open learning currently used and accredited locally by 12 HEIs and nationally by the Institute of Health Care Management 1,200 hours of study over 18–24 months 
		
	
	Source:
	NHSU February 2005.

Obesity

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1) how many obesity clinics there are in England;
	(2)  what the waiting time to attend an obesity clinic in England is.

Melanie Johnson: There are seven adult and seven child national health service obesity clinics in England. Information on the waiting list to attend these clinics is not collected centrally.

Patient and Public Involvement Forums

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Patient and Public Involvement Forums since their inception; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 February 2005
	It is the responsibility of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health rather than the Department to review the effectiveness of patients' forums and to report to the Secretary of State on that effectiveness.
	The Commission recently published a report, entitled PPI Forum Activity Summary", which highlighted the valuable contributions made by patients' forums in their first year's activities.

Premature Babies

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the merits of introducing a respiratory syncytial virus preventative treatment programme for premature babies who are most vulnerable to that virus.

Melanie Johnson: Such a programme already exists. Recommendations on the use of paluvizumab were made by the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation at its November 2002 meeting. Details can be found at http://www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/jcvi/mins01nov02.htm.

Primary Care Trusts

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the 88 spearhead primary care trusts referred to in his statement of 9 February.

John Hutton: holding answer 21 February 2005
	The list of spearhead local authorities and primary care trusts was placed in the Library as part of the launch in November 2004. The list is also available to the public at: www.dh.gov.uk/healthinequalities.

Primary Care Trusts

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what he deems to be (a) an appropriate and (b) a maximum period for a primary care trust to respond to correspondence from an hon. Member concerning problems which a constituent might have with healthcare or with a primary care trust.

John Hutton: holding answer 10 February 2005
	The Department does not set correspondence standards for primary care trusts or any other national health service organisation. We would expect them to have similar standards to those used in other public sector organisations. The Department's own standard for replying to correspondence is 90 per cent., of replies within 20 working days.

Research

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on research by his Department in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002, (d) 2003 and (e) 2004.

Melanie Johnson: The total departmental expenditure on research and development is shown in the table.
	
		Total research and development spend
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2000–01 510 
			 2001–02 538 
			 2002–03 574 
			 2003–04 Not available

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will ask the Rapid Review Panel to look into preventative treatments for respiratory syncytial virus as part of its programme to reduce hospital acquired infections;
	(2)  if he will invite the Rapid Review Panel to examine preventative treatments for respiratory syncytial virus as part of its programme to reduce hospital acquired infections.

Melanie Johnson: The rapid review panel considers all applications that it receives provided the product falls within the panel's remit, that is, it should be a new or novel product which could help reduce healthcare associated infection. Any application submitted regarding a product specifically aimed at reducing respiratory syncytial virus would be considered as part of this process.
	Applications for a marketing authorisation of any medicinal product for the treatment of this and other infections would be considered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency rather than the panel.

Staff Training

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the costs of departmental (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department were in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Temporary Nurses

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action has been taken by his Department to implement the recommendations on temporary nurses in the Audit Commission report Brief Encounters.

John Hutton: The Department has issued guidance setting standards for the use of temporary staffing in the national health service. Agency framework agreements have been negotiated with external agencies providing temporary staff to NHS employers, to drive up standards and improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness. NHS Professionals has been established as a special health authority to bring greater co-ordination and consistency to the use of temporary staff within the NHS and in turn, offer better quality patient care and better value for money.
	The provisional spend on temporary nursing staff has reduced by £65 million in 2003–04. This represents a reduction of more than 10 per cent.

Transplants

John Hume: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been assessed and accepted for (a) heart, (b) lung and (c) heart and lung transplant waiting lists in each of the last three years; how many have received transplants; and how many have died while waiting for transplantation.

Rosie Winterton: The number of people assessed and accepted for heart, lung and heart and lung transplant waiting lists in each of the last three years; the number who have received transplants; and the number who have died while waiting for transplantation is shown in the tables.
	
		Registrations for a heart transplant, 2002–04, United Kingdom, by year of registration and outcome(26)of that registration
		
			  Year of registration 
			  2002 2003 2004 
			 Outcome(26) Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Still listed 17 9 35 17 53 37 
			 Transplanted 136 71 123 59 80 56 
			 Died 12 6 16 8 7 5 
			 Removed 27 14 34 16 4 3 
			 Total 192 (100) 208 (100) 144 (100) 
		
	
	
		Registrations for a lung transplant, 2002–04, United Kingdom, by year of registration and outcome(26)of that registration
		
			  Year of registration 
			  2002 2003 2004 
			 Outcome(26) Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Still listed 60 32 65 37 107 63 
			 Transplanted 89 47 78 44 45 26 
			 Died 32 17 27 15 16 9 
			 Removed 8 4 6 3 2 1 
			 Total 189 (100) 176 (100) 170 (100) 
		
	
	
		Registrations for a heart/lung transplant, 2002–04, United Kingdom, by year of registration and outcome(26)of that registration
		
			  Year of registration 
			  2002 2003 2004 
			 Outcome(26) Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Still listed 9 21 9 22 19 70 
			 Transplanted 19 45 20 50 7 26 
			 Died 12 29 11 27 1 4 
			 Removed 2 5 — 0 — 0 
			 Total 42 (100) 40 (100) 27 (100) 
		
	
	(26)As at 10 January 2005.

Travel Costs Scheme

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which part of his Department has the power to change the rules of the Hospital Travel Costs scheme.

Rosie Winterton: Changes to the provisions of the hospital travel cost scheme are delivered through amendments to the statutory instruments for NHS (Travel Expenses and Remission of Charges) Regulations 2003, SI 2003/2382, which are approved by Parliament. The chief nursing officer's user experience and professional leadership directorate has the policy lead for the scheme.

Triage

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which NHS trusts have introduced orthopaedic triage systems using (a) general practitioners with a special interest, (b) physiotherapists and (c) multi-professional teams; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact on orthopaedic waiting times of triage systems using (a) physiotherapists, (b) general practitioners with a special interest and (c) multi-professional teams.

John Hutton: This information is not collected centrally. The Department is working with a range of external stakeholders to develop a framework for musculoskeletal services. This will include drawing on a number of existing examples of good practice in using triage services to reduce waiting times, improve co-ordination of care and promote quality, convenience and choice for NHS patients.

Waiting Times (Middlesbrough)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for surgery on the NHS was for patients in Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency in (a) 1997, (b) 2001 and (c) 2005.

Melanie Johnson: The information is not available at constituency level.
	The table shows the average (median) waiting time for elective patients where the patient was awaiting surgery at: South Tees Acute National Health Service Trust, South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Langbaurgh PCT for the years 1997–98, 2001–02 and 2003–04. Figures for 2004–05 are not yet available.
	
		Elective (waiting list and booked) cases with an operation; median time waited—1997–98, 2001–02 and 2003–04
		
			  Providers Median time waited (days) 
		
		
			 1997–98 South Tees Acute NHS Trust 41 
			 2001–02 South Tees Acute NHS Trust 39 
			 2003–04 Middlesbrough PCT, Langbaurgh PCT and South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust 50 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the data year. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	2.Data quality—hospital episode statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and PCTs in England. The Department liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.
	3.Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
	4.Time waited statistics from HES are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.
	Source:
	HES, Department of Health.

Working Tax Credit

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has made concerning entitlement to the child care element of working tax credit of a couple where one person is engaged in qualifying remunerative work and the other is a student nurse.

John Hutton: The current NHS Bursary Scheme provides an allowance for health professional students who use a registered or approved child care provider during their period of training. Where the student, spouse or partner is in receipt of the child care element of working tax credit no allowance is payable to the student. Before the introduction of the allowance to meet child care costs within the NHS Bursary Scheme there was a public consultation.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rural bus services in Morecambe and Lunesdale are supported by rural bus grants.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department provides specific funding to local authorities for rural bus services through the rural bus subsidy grant (RBSG), introduced in 1998. Lancashire's RBSG allocation for 2004–05 is £1.24 million rising to £1.28 million in 2005–06. Between 1998 and 2003 the Department's annual rural bus challenge (RBC) competitions also provided funds for innovative rural transport schemes. Lancashire has been awarded £3.74 million for eight different RBC schemes.
	Local authorities are also able to support rural bus services through their general revenue support grant (RSG) funding. It is a matter for each individual authority to decide which services to support from their RSG and RBSG resources.
	Lancashire county council advise us that there are six rural bus services that serve Morecambe and Lunesdale supported by the Department's two rural bus grant schemes as shown in the following table (RBSG unless indicated):
	
		
			 Service Description 
		
		
			 LI (RBC) Carnforth-Milnthorpe (Carnforth Connect) 
			 33 Silverdale Shuttle 
			 43/45/81A/81B Lancaster-The Kellets-Carnforth/Kirkby Lonsdale 
			 55A Lancaster-Carnforth-Warton 
			 21 Lancaster-Aldcliffe 
			 556 Kendal-Lancaster-Kendal

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the costs of cleaning the Department and its predecessors were in each year since 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department for Transport was formed in May 2002.
	The total cost of cleaning in the central Department comprising DFT HQ in London and Hastings, The Air Accidents and Marine Accident Investigation Branches and Mobility Advice and Vehicle Information Service was £384,833 in 2002–03 and £405,480 in 2003–04. For the six departmental agencies, who by the nature of their businesses and operations have a large number of properties located throughout the country, the total costs were £2,772,182 in 2002–03 and £2,931,915 in 2003–04.

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many departmental (a) canteens and (b) bars there are; and how much has been spent on the (i) running, (ii) staffing and (iii) supply costs of each in each year since 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department for Transport was formed in May 2002.
	DfT HQ in London at Great Minster House has one canteen, which is provided without direct subsidy. The associated costs cannot be broken down in the detail requested but the overall catering costs were £12,776 in 2002–03 and £24,679 in 2003–04.
	Elsewhere DfT's HQ staff at Ashdown House, Hastings have access to a canteen provided by the major occupier but catering costs are covered in the general service charge and are not identifiable separately. The Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency have three canteens at their Swansea offices that are run on a nil cost basis. Driving Standards Agency have one canteen and a bar at their Cardington Training Centre but the individual costs cannot be broken out from the overall delegate charges levied by the company running the contracted out facilities management services at the site. VOSA provides a contracted out canteen service for delegates attending its training courses in Bristol which staff may use and the cost contribution for this service was £13,592 in 2002–03 and £19,002 in 2003–04

Ministerial Stationery

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on official ministerial (a) business cards, (b) headed paper and (c) compliment slips in each year since 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department's records do not allow me to provide the information broken down to the level of detail requested by the hon. Member. However the combined cost of official ministerial business cards, headed paper and compliment slips is known. The combined costs of these three elements since the formation of the Department in May 2002, in each financial year is:
	
		£
		
			  Combined cost 
		
		
			 29 May 2002 to 31 March 2003 3,994 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 2,198 
			 1 April 2004 to 31 January 2005 2,602

Mobile Phones

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of staff mobile phone bills was in each year since 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: The information requested is not accounted for separately from the cost of other telecommunications throughout the Department, and so cannot be provided on grounds of disproportionate cost.

Motorway Cameras

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what purpose cameras are being placed on traffic message gantries on some sections of the M1 motorway; and what the total cost is thereof.

David Jamieson: holding answer 8 February 2005
	The Ml motorway is equipped with cameras for traffic and incident management purposes such as comprehensive surveillance of accidents, traffic and weather conditions. They do not measure individual vehicle speed. However, some cameras measure the average speed of the traffic for the purposes of setting automatic queue-warning signs. These cameras are not used for speed enforcement. The provision of CCTV cameras is controlled by departmental standards and they can only be used for the purposes described. Most cameras are fixed to free-standing masts installed in the motorway verge. In Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, 12 cameras (installed early in 2004) have been fitted to traffic message sign gantries.
	On the Al just north of the end of the Ml near Wetherby, a number of traffic and incident management cameras are being provided on message sign gantries. These works are part of the ongoing Al Darrington to Dishforth Design Build Finance and Operate (DBFO) scheme which is converting parts of the Al into new motorway.
	These cameras have all been provided as part of a much larger project, thus an accurate cost of camera only provision cannot be determined. However it is estimated that the typical cost of installing a single camera on a traffic message sign gantry and making it operational is around £15,000.

Noise Pollution (Maidenhead)

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies his Department has conducted of the effect at different times of day of noise pollution from Heathrow airport in Maidenhead and the surrounding area.

Charlotte Atkins: pursuant to the reply, 8 February 2005, Official Report, c. 1450–1W
	I am advised that noise at Heathrow is continually monitored by BAA using 10 permanent monitors. These are situated close to the airport, but none is situated in Maidenhead. Mobile monitors have been used for specific studies in the past at Dorney and Shurlock but there are no monitors in the surrounding area at present.

Rail Freight

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to continue the Strategic Rail Authority's policies towards large-scale Railfreight interchanges.

Tony McNulty: The Government continue to believe that railfreight interchanges play an important role in supporting the sustainable transport of goods. Decisions about individual railfreight terminals will be taken at the regional and local level, but the Government have given guidance on the development of Regional Transport Strategies that says
	Particular consideration should be given to the spatial issues, such as identifying the broad location of new multi-modal freight interchanges which include regional rail freight interchanges as set out in the SRA's Strategic Rail Freight Interchange Policy and distribution centres of regional or sub-regional significance to encourage modal shift of freight from road to rail".

Rail Services

Andrew Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains on the West Coast Main Line from Manchester to London (a) were cancelled, (b) broke down during the journey and (c) arrived over 30 minutes late during the first six weeks of 2005.

Tony McNulty: In the first six weeks of 2005 (to 11 February), Virgin Trains planned to run 2,658 services on the Manchester to London route. Of these services 152 trains did not run or failed to complete their journey and 169 were late by 30 minutes or more. Precise data on trains breaking down mid-journey are not readily available.

Railway Stations

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway stations have closed since 1 May 1997.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 21 February 2005
	Five stations have been permanently closed since 1997 (Sinfin North, Sinfin Central, Pendleton, Croxley Green and Watford West). Three other station closures (Filton, Wrexham Central and Mountain Ash) were associated with facilitating new stations. The Secretary of State is also considering a decision to close Etruria station, part of the West Coast Route Modernisation project.

Staff Surveys

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much was paid to consultants carrying out staff surveys in the Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the cost of staff surveys in the Department and its predecessors was in each year since 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: Since the creation of the Department for Transport in May 2002, the costs incurred by the Department and its Executive Agencies for consultants conducting staff surveys are as follows:
	
		£000
		
			  2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 DfT(C) 0 34.2 0 
			 HA 15.5 9.4 17.3 
			 DVLA 0 0 40.0 
			 15DSA 18.0 0 0 
			 VGA 0 0 0 
			 VOSA 2.4 0 0 
			 MCA 3.4 47.2 15.6 
			 Total 39.3 90.8 72.9 
		
	
	Internal costs arising from staff surveys are not identified separately and are included in the Department's and agencies' administrative budgets. Copies of the annual reports are deposited in the Library of the House.
	Staff surveys are an important measure of how people feel about working in the Department. They help to provide focus on areas for improvement such as performance management, development and leadership. Surveys also allow a better overview when staff are spread over numerous locations, as with the agencies.

Stationery

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Department and its predecessors spent on (a) stationery and (b) office supplies in each year since 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department was formed in May 2002. The information for the central Department and its agencies is set out in the following table.
	
		£000
		
			  2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 DfTc   
			 Stationery 240.0 307.3 
			 Office supplies 109.4 182.1 
			
			 DVLA   
			 Stationery(27) 11,110.0 12,111.0 
			 Office supplies (28)— (28)— 
			
			 DSA   
			 Stationery 374.4 478.5 
			 Office supplies (29)— 205.6 
			
			 VCA   
			 Stationery 19.4 20.7 
			 Office supplies 4.5 5.9 
			
			 VOSA   
			 Stationery (30)— 2,312.2 
			 Office supplies (30)— 157.3 
			
			 HA   
			 Stationery 91.6 395.7 
			 Office supplies 305.1 582.8 
			
			 MCA   
			 Stationery(31) 214.2 213.1 
			 Office supplies 102.7 82.1 
		
	
	(27) This expenditure also includes the stationery which the Agency uses for its core business i.e. print on tax discs, V5s, V11s etc.
	(28) Office supplies included in figure for stationery.
	(29) Office supplies not recorded separately under previous accounting system.
	(30) VOSA was created in April 2003.
	(31) Figures exclude some IT and reprographics consumables as these had not been recorded separately from operating and capital costs.

Targets

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many targets have been set in each year since 1997 by the Department; and, of these, which have been (a) met, (b) nearly met, (c) not met, (d) changed and (e) dropped.

Charlotte Atkins: I refer to the answer given by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 21 February 2005, Official Report, column 75W.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Armed Services

Andrew Robathan: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how much was spent by the Electoral Commission on raising voting awareness among service voters in each year since 2000.

Peter Viggers: Section 13 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, under which the Electoral Commission acts to raise voter awareness, came into force on 19 January 2001. The Electoral Commission informs me that it has spent £11,000 in the current financial year on measures specifically aimed at raising awareness of registration among service voters, most of it on the production and distribution to Ministry of Defence units of a leaflet providing electoral information for members of the armed forces. The Ministry of Defence is responsible for all aspects of distribution within units. In 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 the Commission incurred only staff costs, which cannot be separately identified, in respect of media relations activity specifically to highlight registration amongst service voters.
	Commission programmes aimed at raising voter awareness generally are also likely to have made some contribution to raising voter awareness among service voters.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Racial Hatred

Ross Cranston: To ask the Solicitor-General how many people have been charged with offences relating to the stirring-up of racial hatred; how many files on such cases have been put to the Attorney-General; in how many of those cases prosecutions were approved; in which years; how many of those prosecutions were successful; and what the nature was of the issues in successful cases.

Harriet Harman: The Attorney-General's consent to prosecute a person for offences relating to the stirring-up of racial hatred has been sought, to date, on 80 occasions. In total, consent to prosecute was given in relation to 73 of those persons. A table showing those consent decisions is as follows.
	
		
			  Consent given 
		
		
			 1988 2 
			 1989 1 
			 1990 2 
			 1991 3 
			 1992 4 
			 1993 2 
			 1994 2 
			 1995 7 
			 1996 12 
			 1997 9 
			 1998 1 
			 1999 4 
			 2000 4 
			 2001 8 
			 2002 2 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 3 
			 2005 7 
			 Total 73 
		
	
	Seventy-two of those persons have been charged with offences relating to the stirring-up of racial hatred. One person absconded before charge.
	The 72 prosecutions have resulted in 44 convictions, five acquittals, six cases dropped by the prosecution and 17 other outcomes.
	The seventeen other outcomes" are as follows: two cases in which the defendant was bound over, one case where the defendant absconded, 10 cases that are on-going, one case where the defendant died before completion of the proceedings, one case where a nolle prosequi was entered, one case where the proceedings were stayed on the ground that the defendant was medically unfit to be tried and one case where the outcome is unknown.
	It is not possible to say what the nature of the issues was in the successful cases, as the prosecution statistics relating to incitement to racial hatred do not record information of this nature.

Behzti"

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Solicitor-General whether the Attorney-General considered initiating a prosecution against the producers of the play Behzti" on the grounds that it was allegedly offensive to Sikhs; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Prosecutions for the offences of incitement to racial hatred, under Part III of the Public Order Act 1986, are brought by the Crown Prosecution Service, who seek the consent of the Attorney-General to prosecute.
	The Crown Prosecution Service has not sought the consent of the Attorney-General to prosecute any offence in relation to the play Behzti".

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to publish the Burns Report into the renewal of the BBC Charter.

Tessa Jowell: The independent panel, chaired by Lord Burns, which I appointed to advise me on matters relating to Charter review, issued its final advice on Friday 28 January. In line with previous commitments, I published it on the same day.

Free TV Licences

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners have received a free television licence in North Durham.

Estelle Morris: TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in the North Durham constituency in 2003–04 was 4,785, according to Department for Work and Pensions records.

Government Art Fund

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the works of art purchased by the Government art fund in each year since 1997; what the cost of each item was; and where each item is on display.

Estelle Morris: It is not possible to provide information on the activities of the Government art fund as there is no such organisation within the Department or elsewhere within Her Majesty's Government. The Government Art Collection, is responsible for purchases of works of art for display within certain United Kingdom Government buildings both in this country and around the world. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 10 February 2005, Official Report, column 1724W for detailed information on purchases of works of art in the Government Art Collection from 1997–2005.

Licensing

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether guidance on licensing policy to local authorities allows local authorities to impose a requirement on licensed premises to display information on sensible alcohol consumption and typical drink unit content.

Richard Caborn: In July 2004 we issued Guidance under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 to licensing authorities. Chapter 7 contains advice and recommendations on best practice regarding conditions attached to premises licences and club premises certificates. Conditions may be attached only where they are necessary for the promotion of one or more of the licensing objectives.

Licensing

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has issued concerning the status of (a) parish and (b) town councils in relation to consultation under sections 13 and 69 of the Licensing Act 2003.

Richard Caborn: No special guidance has been issued concerning the status of parish and town councils in relation to consultations under the Licensing Act 2003. Members of parish and town councils have the same rights as any other citizen. The Licensing Act 2003 provides that interested parties, including persons living or involved in a business in the vicinity of a premises or bodies representing them, may make representations about applications for provisional statements and about the grant or variation of premises licences or club premises certificates, except where a simple conversion of an existing licence or certificate is made under the grandfather rights provisions in Schedule 8 of the Act. Interested parties may also apply for a review of a licence or certificate at any time as well as make representations about a review once it has been applied for. Representations must be about the effects of the application on the promotion of the licensing objectives. Members of parish and town councils will be able to make representations if they are interested parties under the terms of the Act. They are not free to make representations in their own right unless they live in the vicinity of the premises concerned. However, there is nothing to prevent a council member acting on behalf of any resident living in the vicinity of the premises and making the representations that the resident would like to have made.

Public Service Publisher

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on the role of a public service publisher.

Estelle Morris: Representatives of the broadcasting industry and other interested individuals have expressed a range of views on Ofcom's proposal for a Public Service Publisher (PSP). On 8 February 2005, Ofcom reported on the final phase of its review of Public Service Broadcasting which expanded on the PSP proposal. The Government is considering Ofcom's recommendation and will respond in due course.

Royal Parks Constabulary

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many police officers there were in the Royal Parks Constabulary in each year since 1994; and what projections there are for numbers of officers in the force in future years.

Richard Caborn: The number of police officers in the Royal Parks Constabulary in each year between 1994 and 2004 is set out in the following table. The figures show uniformed staff numbers as at 31 March each year.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1994 176 
			 1995 171 
			 1996 163 
			 1997 157 
			 1998 164 
			 1999 156 
			 2000 158 
			 2001 156 
			 2002 149 
			 2003 151 
			 2004 140 
		
	
	From 1 April 2004 the Royal Parks have been policed by an Operational Command Unit of the Metropolitan Police Service, under a co-policing arrangement with the RPC. There are currently 144 police officers and 47 community support officers in the Operational Command Unit.
	Clauses have been included in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill for the functions of the RPC to be taken over by the MPS in 2005–06. The projected number of MPS staff who will police the Royal Parks from 2006–07 is 135 police officers and 45 community support officers.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he plans to introduce to divert youngsters from antisocial behaviour.

Hazel Blears: The Government have introduced a range of programmes to reduce crime committed by young people which also have an impact on antisocial behaviour.
	The Home Office is supporting a wide range of schemes targeted at young people who are most at risk. These include:
	Youth Inclusion Programmes (YIPS), Youth Inclusion and Support Panels (YISP) and Positive Futures.
	The Youth Inclusion Programmes (YIPs) and Youth Inclusion and Support Panels (YISPS) are part of the Government's wider programme to target young people at risk of getting involved in criminal and antisocial behaviour. These are essentially intensive intervention programmes that target the risk factors often associated with young people's offending.
	Positive Futures programme was launched in March 2000 and is targeted at 10–19 year olds living in the most deprived neighbourhoods in England and Wales. Its objective is to have a positive influence on drug use and other negative behaviours of vulnerable young people. Since its launch over 51,000 young people have taken regular part in Positive Futures activities.
	The Government will also be publishing in the near future a green paper on young people, which will consult on proposals for more places to go and things to do for teenagers, as well as on ways to improve advice and support on the choices and challenges they face. The proposals in the green paper are intended to contribute to the Government's efforts to divert youngsters from crime and antisocial behaviour, and more generally to contribute to positive outcomes for teenagers. There is evidence that a lack of things to do can lead people into offending. A 2003 MORI/Youth Justice Board Survey showed that 25 per cent. of offenders in mainstream education and 42 per cent. of school-excluded offenders said their motive for offending was they were bored. There will be a specific focus within the green paper on those who are at risk of crime and antisocial behaviour, and other poor outcomes.

Drug Crime (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many arrests of drug dealers Lancashire police have made in each Lancashire constituency in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many people have been arrested in Lancashire for antisocial behaviour in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not available centrally. Information on arrests collected centrally is based on persons arrested for notifiable" offences by main offence group and police force area only and therefore does not identify individual offences, such as drug dealing, or whether the arrest is as a result of antisocial behaviour.

Asylum Seekers

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to remove from the UK a higher proportion of failed asylum seekers; and whether asylum seekers are required to attend in person to receive their appeal decision.

Des Browne: The Immigration Service is undertaking a number of initiatives to remove a greater proportion of failed asylum seekers from the United Kingdom. These include among other things: securing re-admission agreements with other countries so that those without passports can be re-documented and removed more quickly, increasing the number of removals under the assisted voluntary returns scheme; increasing the number of returns to safe third countries through the increased use of ring fenced detention; increasing the number of removals in London by using flexible and
	mobile teams able better to support other agencies; re-evaluating the way in which we deal with family removals; maximising removals from our network of reporting centres and working to reduce disruptive behaviour designed to frustrate removal at the point of departure.
	At present, first determinations in asylum appeal cases are served by post by the Immigration Appellate Authority, as the applicable procedure rules do not permit service by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND). However the rules do permit the service in person by IND of the outcome of applications for Statutory Review, and these are, wherever possible, served in person.
	From 4 April 2005 a new appeal system will come into force. The procedure rules governing this will allow us to serve a much higher number of determinations, at all stages of the appeal, in person, and work is in hand to ensure that where asylum seekers are reporting regularly to the Immigration Service, they receive their determinations, and are advised of their further options, when they report.

British Crime Survey

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the value of the British Crime Survey.

Hazel Blears: The British Crime Survey (BCS) is the most reliable and robust measure of crime in England and Wales today. Although no formal evaluation of the BCS has been undertaken, both the criminological and policing communities respect it as an authoritative measure of crime trends. The overwhelming value of the BCS is that it provides the most reliable measurement of crime trends as it has measured crime consistently since 1981.
	The BCS provides the best reflection of the true extent of crime because it also includes crimes that are not reported to the police. We have never claimed that the BCS counts all crimes that occur in England and Wales, but rather that it provides a reliable measure of trends in the crimes that it does count from one year to the next. The design of the survey ensures statistically robust data is obtained. The BCS count also gives a better indication of trends in crime over time than police recorded crime because it is unaffected by changes in levels of reporting to the police and in police recording practices.

British Crime Survey

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of public confidence in the British Crime Survey.

Hazel Blears: There has been no research looking specifically at public confidence in the British crime survey (BCS). However, the Home Office are involved in a project conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Statistics Commission to look into the factors that affect public confidence in official statistics.

Control Techniques (Young People)

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the terms of reference are of the review of control and restraint techniques in facilities for young people; and when he expects to announce the results.

Paul Goggins: The terms of reference for the review of physical control in care (PCC) in the secure training centres are:
	To review the methods of physical control of trainees aged from 10 to 17 years presented by the Prison Service college including proposals for change to existing methods.
	To comment on the suitability of these methods for use by custody officers performing either custodial duties at secure training centres or escort functions in respect of children placed in secure training centres and local authority secure children's homes. To comment on the suitability of these methods for use on pregnant young women and those who have had caesarean sections.
	To recommend a preferred system of PCC restraints for use on young persons to the Youth Justice Board (YJB).
	The PCC review panel is expected to meet in early March to make its recommendations. These will be considered by the YJB who expect to submit a report of the review, with recommendations, to Ministers in the spring.
	The Youth Justice Board has also commissioned a wider review of physical restraint, including behaviour management, by a specialist in restraint techniques and a trauma surgeon. Recommendations from the draft report are currently being considered, with a view to determining an appropriate way forward.

Crime Statistics

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answers of 25 January 2005, Official Report, columns 268–69W, on crime, if he will make it his policy to record (a) alcohol-related violent offences, (b) youth offences, (c) internet crime and (d) domestic violence offences centrally; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The offences which form the recorded crime series are all indictable and triable-either-way offences together with a few closely related summary ones. As such these offences are defined by statute. Those referred to in the question are not. For example, a domestic violence offence" would be recorded as more or less serious wounding or common assault depending on the severity of the violence used and in accordance with the relevant legislation.
	The ability to produce police recorded crime statistics on the topics mentioned is dependent on the adoption of new IT systems in police forces and the Home Office. An exercise is under way to assess the costs and benefits associated with making this change.

Essex Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the responsibilities are of Essex police's mobile support unit; and which other constabularies have mobile support units.

Hazel Blears: The chief constable is responsible for the day to day operational management of the force. This is not something on which we hold information.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Committee for the European Refugee Fund met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: We have records of no meetings during the Italian Presidency, one during the Irish Presidency, and two during the Dutch Presidency. The UK was represented by officials from the Home Office's Immigration and Nationality Directorate, or by the UK Permanent Representation as necessary.

Illegal Working

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures his Department is taking to reduce illegal working.

Des Browne: The Government are firmly committed to tackling illegal migrant working. Our strategy involves increasing enforcing capacity, encouraging compliance by business, and developing joint working between agencies responsible for enforcing workplace regulations. In 2004, the UK Immigration Service carried out 1,600 enforcement operations against illegal work, a 360 per cent. increase on the previous year, and apprehended 3,330 illegal migrant workers.
	During the course of 2004, we strengthened section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, the law preventing illegal migrant working, by adjusting the requirement on employers to check and copy certain documents for prospective employees, and by making the summary offence under section 8 triable either way. Following conviction on indictment, there is no upper limit to the level of fine that can be imposed. We introduced a new, separate criminal offence of trafficking for the purpose of exploitation. We also provided monitored access to our labour market for EU accession state workers.
	As we made clear in our five-year strategy for asylum and immigration, we are continuing to examine ways to develop joint working and the sharing of intelligence between workplace enforcement agencies. We will pilot a joint team from April this year to target the use of illegal migrant workers in the West Midlands and explore the scope for closer collaboration between departments. We are setting up a new authority to regulate gangmasters in the agricultural and shellfish gathering sectors. We will also introduce civil penalties for employers found to be using illegal workers. In the longer term, the establishment of a national identity card system will provide a simple and secure means of verifying entitlement to work in the United Kingdom.

Juvenile Offenders

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juvenile offenders are currently held in (a) young offenders' institutions and (b) elsewhere within the Prison Estate; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Data on the number of young people held in Young Offender Institutions (YOI) within the juvenile estate as at 2 February 2005, is set out in the table.
	
		
			 Establishment Number of juveniles on remand Number of sentenced juveniles Total 
		
		
			 Ashfield 50 235 285 
			 Brinsford 69 132 201 
			 Bullwood Hall 0 13 13 
			 Castington 58 94 152 
			 Downview 5 6 11 
			 Eastwood Park 2 6 8 
			 Feltham 141 116 257 
			 Hindley 35 129 164 
			 Holloway n/a 2 2 
			 Huntercombe n/a 337 337 
			 Lancaster Farms 83 120 203 
			 New Hall 6 24 30 
			 Parc 16 17 33 
			 Stoke Heath 44 128 172 
			 Thorn Cross n/a 55 55 
			 Warren Hill 25 171 196 
			 Werrington n/a 116 116 
			 Wetherby 46 271 317 
			 Total 580 1,972 2,552 
		
	
	In addition to the above, two juveniles are currently held on remand in the dedicated unit for category A juveniles at HM Prison Woodhill.

Lancashire Police

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women are training to join Lancashire police.

Hazel Blears: Lancashire constabulary recruits do not commence training to be a police officer until they have actually joined the constabulary. The initial training period lasts for 15 weeks, although officers remain on probation for two years, during which time they undergo additional training.
	On 10 February 2005 there were a total of 456 probationers in the Lancashire constabulary; 318 male and 138 female. Of these, 25 male and 15 female officers are currently undergoing their initial training course.
	A further intake of recruits is scheduled for March 2005 when it is anticipated that 16 males and 10 females will join the Constabulary.

Lancashire Police

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women have joined Lancashire police in each year since 2001.

Hazel Blears: The latest information on police officers joining the service was published in Home Office Statistical Bulletin number 13/04, Police Service Strength England and Wales, 31 March 2004. Prior to March 2003, the numbers of support staff and traffic wardens joining were not collected centrally and community support officers were only introduced after 31 March 2002.
	The available data for Lancashire 1 are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Men Women 
			 As at 31 March: Police officers Police staff Community Support officers Traffic wardens Police officers Police staff Community Support officers Traffic wardens 
		
		
			 2001 118 n/a — n/a 46 n/a — n/a 
			 2002 144 n/a — n/a 59 n/a — n/a 
			 2003 (33)153 15 24 0 (33)71 42 17 0 
			 2004 (33)240l 158 1 5 (33)95 273 6 6 
		
	
	(32) headcount
	(33) not comparable with previous years as it includes transfers from other England and Wales forces.

Paedophiles (Grooming)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the civil and criminal provisions in the Sexual Offences Act 2004 to tackle grooming by paedophiles on the internet and other media; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 9 February 2005
	The Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Sexual Offending, which is chaired by Baroness Scotland, has been charged with monitoring the implementation of the whole Sexual Offences Act 2003 which came into force on 1 May 2004. It is still too early to assess the use of the new grooming offence and the new risk of sexual harm order but the Ministerial Group will be taking stock of the situation when data about a full year's operation of the provisions is available.

Police

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has given to police authorities on how the integrity of evidence would be protected in the event that custody officers are civilianised; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The integrity of evidence gathered during an investigation is the responsibility of the senior investigating officer. The role of the staff custody officer would be the same as that for a police custody officer as set out in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and accompanying codes of practice. Guidance would be issued to all relevant stakeholders in advance of the introduction of staff custody officers.

Police

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many searches of (a) persons and (b) vehicles under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 were carried out by each Metropolitan Police division (a) in each of the last five years and (b) in 2005 to date; and how many arrests were made as a result in each division for (i) offensive weapons and (ii) other reasons.

Hazel Blears: Information from 1999–2000 to 2003–04 (latest available) for the Metropolitan Police area is given in the table. The information is collected centrally at police force area level only.
	Data for 2004–05 will be published later in the year.
	
		Searches of persons and vehicles under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994(34)within the Metropolitan police area by resultant arrests, 1999–2000 to 2003–04 -- Number
		
			 Arrests for: 
			  Total searches Vehicles only searched Persons searched Offensive weapons Other reasons 
		
		
			 1999–2000 2,693 2 2,691 4 34 
			 2000–01 2,813 7 2,806 3 64 
			 2001–02 6,065 65 6,000 89 144 
			 2002–03 8,606 117 8,489 88 338 
			 2003–04 4,359 11 4,348 29 122 
		
	
	(34) Searches in anticipation of violence.

Police

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) community safety officers were based in Milton Keynes in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: Information on strength at Basic Command Unit (BCU) level is collected annually and reflects the position at the end of March. Information on BCU strength is only available from 2002 and is set out in the table. The deployment of officers to BCUs is a matter for the chief constable (Mr. Peter Neyroud QPM) and within the Milton Keynes (D) Division deployment of officers is a matter for the Divisional Commander.
	I am told by the chief constable that until 21 February there were no community support officers in Milton Keynes. From Monday 21 February, five community support officers will be patrolling in Milton Keynes.
	
		Milton Keynes (D) Division
		
			 As at 31 March Number of police officers 
		
		
			 2002 343 
			 2003 346 
			 2004 371

Police

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers there are in Morecambe and Lunesdale.

Hazel Blears: I am told by the chief constable of Lancashire (Mr. Paul Stephenson QPM) that the northern (B) division currently has 25 community support officers (CSOs) and seven are deployed to the Morecambe area.
	I announced on 24 November 2004 that, under the first phase of the Neighbourhood Policing Fund, the Home Office will support the recruitment of an additional 57 CSOs in Lancashire. This will enable the force to deploy a total of 185 CSOs by 31 March 2005. I understand from the Chief Constable that he plans to allocate a further eight CSOs to the northern division.

Police

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much public funding has been spent on CCTV security cameras in Morecambe and Lunesdale since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office has provided a total of £83,692 to Morecambe and Lunesdale under the Closed Circuit Television initiatives, which formed part of the Crime Reduction Programme.
	Since the completion of the Crime Reduction Programme, crime reduction funding has been allocated directly to the local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership through the Building Safer Communities fund and to Basic Command Unit (BCD) Commanders through the BUG fund. These funding streams finance a variety of interventions, including CCTV, to tackle local crime priorities. Exactly how funding is allocated across the area is the responsibility of the local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership and Lancashire Constabulary.

Probation Service (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much will be spent on the probation service in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley in 2005–06.

Paul Goggins: The Lancashire Probation Board has so far been allocated £19.547 million of Home Office funds for the financial year 2005–06. The amount of this that is allocated for services in Chorley is a matter for the Lancashire Probation Board.

Secure Sites (Young People's Deaths)

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people under 21 years have died in each of the last five years for which figures are available in (a) police custody, (b) prison and (c) other secure sites; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The table sets out the information requested. Of the deaths of young people who die following contact with the police, 89 per cent. (77 deaths out of 87) do so as a result of road traffic incidents. Operational measures to avoid pursuits or curtail them include the use of helicopters, the early deployment of tyre deflation devices across the carriageway and tactical pursuit and containment in which a number of police vehicles are deployed in a planned manner to box in the target vehicle and bring it safely to a halt. More widely, we are working with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the National Centre for Policing Excellence and other key stakeholders in developing guidance setting out minimum standards for safer custody practice. This is due for publication in January 2006 following consultation in summer 2005 on the draft guidance with practitioner groups.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is, within stakeholders, developing a suicide prevention strategy which includes specific provision for juveniles. This will focus on:
	Increasing activity within regimes—better control of activities; more pertinent and constructive outdoor activity
	Improved first night/ reception facilities
	Recognising the innate vulnerability of the juvenile population
	Child protection training
	Improvements to healthcare centres—mental health nursing initiatives
	Decreased use of segregation unit
	Counselling, support groups, and specialised psychological interventions for those who self-harm
	Promotion of peer support for juveniles through insider schemes.
	
		
			  Police custody Prison Young offenders institution 
		
		
			 1999–2000 18 1 15 
			 2000–01 10 2 16 
			 2001–02 12 0 12 
			 2002–03 27 0 16 
			 2003–04 20 2 8

Shannon Trust

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support his Department gives to the Shannon Trust; and what plans there are for further support.

Paul Goggins: The Department for Education and Skills has commissioned an evaluation of the Toe by Toe scheme, run by the Shannon Trust. The evaluative exercise offers a structured analysis that will identify the success factors in the secure estate, determine the role of the learner/tutor relationship in the scheme's success, and consider its applicability to all learners. The evaluation will ascertain the potential for mainstreaming the scheme within the wider Skills for Life learning community and establishing stronger links with the overall Skills for Life initiative.

Under-age Drinking

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been in (a) south Yorkshire and (b) England of retailers for selling alcohol to people under 18 years in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The available information, relating to England and south Yorkshire police force area, 1999 to 2003, is shown in the following table.
	
		Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to the sale of alcohol to underage persons(35), England and South Yorkshire police force area, 1999 to 2003
		
			 Offence description Statute Year England South Yorkshire PFA 
		
		
			 Selling etc., intoxicating liquor to persons under Licensing Act, 1964, section 169(1); 1999 185 5 
			 18 for consumption on the premises Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 2000 116 14 
			  1983, schedule (sec.3) para. 4(1) 2001 166 20 
			   2002 149 — 
			   2003 561 — 
			  
			 Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person Licensing Act 1964, sec. 181 A(1) as 1999 1 — 
			 under 18 added by Licensing Act 1988, sec. 17 2000 2 — 
			   2001 3 2 
			   2002 2 — 
			   2003 12 — 
		
	
	(35) These data are on the principal offence basis.

West Mercia Police

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid by West Mercia constabulary in out of court settlements in the last 12 months.

Hazel Blears: The chief constable of West Mercia constabulary informs me that £72,483 has been paid in out of court settlements in the 12 month period to January 2005.

West Mercia Police

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been made against West Mercia Police Constabulary in the last 12 months.

Hazel Blears: I am advised by West Mercia police that 790 complaints were made against the force between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2004.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Waste

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which landfill sites in England are licensed to accept hazardous waste.

Elliot Morley: At the end of 2004, 16 landfills in England were permitted to accept hazardous wastes, with a further seven awaiting a decision (of those seven, some may be accepting hazardous wastes under the terms of a waste management licence). Also, the Environment Agency has received 47 applications to operate separate cells in non-hazardous landfills, for the disposal of stable non reactive hazardous waste, with 24 sites currently operational. Details on all the sites can be found on the Environment Agency website at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/444217/444663/landfill/

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Publications

George Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been spent on the production of in-house magazines in the Department in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: The Cabinet Office in-house magazine SCOOPS" was published from 1997 until December 2002.
	Early production costs were minimal, excluding staff production costs. From October 1998 with the introduction of the first colour edition, until publication was discontinued in December 2002, costs rose to £2,500 per issue. SCOOPS" was published ten times per year, at a cost of £25,000 per year between 1999 and 2002.
	The staff newsletter, The Weekly", has always been produced entirely in-house and has incurred no additional production costs.

Mobile Phones

George Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost of staff mobile phone bills was in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: Information relating to mobile telephones and their cost is not held centrally and is not separately identifiable on the Department's accounting system. It cannot therefore be readily retrieved without incurring disproportionate cost.

Queen's Flight

Chris Grayling: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  on how many occasions his Department's Ministers used the Queen's Flight in each of the past five years;
	(2)  how much money his Department has spent on chartering aircraft in each of the past five years.

David Miliband: Travel by Ministers" makes clear that special flights may be authorised when a scheduled service is not available, or when it is essential to travel by air, but the requirements of official or parliamentary business or security considerations or urgency preclude the journey being made by a scheduled service. In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The list published in 1999 covers the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 1999. Where RAF/private charter aircraft are used this is shown in the list. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2004–05 will be published in due course.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code" and Travel by Ministers."

Staff Surveys

George Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much was paid to consultants carrying out staff surveys in the Department in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the cost of staff surveys in the Department was in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: The Cabinet Office and its agencies carry out regular Staff Surveys as part of good management practice in developing people to deliver more efficient and better quality services. Staff Surveys are usually carried out by external consultants.
	Consultant costs are set out in the table.
	
		Consultant costs of staff surveys in the department from 1997
		
			 £ 
			 Year of staff survey Cabinet Office Central Office of Information Government Car and Despatch Agency 
		
		
			 1997 — * * 
			 1998 — — — 
			 1999 29,963 * — 
			 2000 26,554 — — 
			 2001 — 25,350 — 
			 2002 27,833 25,873 — 
			 2003 — — — 
			 2004 35,973 32,900 — 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Survey not carried out in that year.
	2. Fees inclusive of VAT.
	3. A Staff Survey was developed, carried out and analysed internally. No external costs were incurred.

Stationery

George Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Department spent on (a) stationery and (b) office supplies in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: Detail of the Department's spend on stationery in each year since 1997 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Stationery expenditure (£000) 
		
		
			 1997–98 392 
			 1998–99 565 
			 1999–2000 823 
			 2000–01 756 
			 2001–02 610 
			 2002–03 712 
			 2003–04 637 
		
	
	The cost of office supplies is not separately identifiable on the Department's Accounting System.

Swan Hunter

Nick Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Swan Hunter shipyard.

David Miliband: My visit to the Swan Hunter ship yard was in my capacity as constituency MP for South Shields and not as Minister for the Cabinet Office.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adoption

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children were adopted in the United Kingdom in each of the last three years.

Margaret Hodge: The tables show the number of adoptions in the UK for the last four calendar years for which numbers are available, and the number of looked after children adoptions in England for the last five years ending 31 March.
	
		Number
		
			 Calendar year ending 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 5,503 6,588 6,240 5,429 
			 England 4,671 5,657 5,265 4,479 
			 Wales 269 324 416 342 
			 Scotland 391 468 385 468 
			 Northern Ireland 172 139 174 140 
		
	
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics
	
		Adoptions of looked after children in the year ending 31 March(36)
		
			 England Number 
		
		
			 2000 2700 
			 2001 3100 
			 2002 3400 
			 2003 3500 
			 2003 3700 
		
	
	(36) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
	Source:
	DfES
	While the total number of children adopted in England has fallen between the calendar years 2001 and 2003, the number of looked after children adopted in England has increased by 37 per cent. between the years ending 31 March 2000 and 2004.

Children Act

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment the Government have made of the impact of the Children Act 2004 on the costs of local authorities.

Margaret Hodge: Details of the costs associated with the Children Act 2004 are set out in the regulatory impact assessment which is available on the Department's website. The resources which the Government will be providing to support the reforms introduced by Children Act 2004 are set out in Every Child Matters: Change for Children (paragraphs 4.16–4.25), a copy of which is in the Library.

Class Sizes

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made in reducing infant class sizes for five, six and seven-year-olds in Leicestershire since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The age of individual pupils in classes is not collected centrally. The available information is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary schools(37): number of pupils in key stage 1 classes of 31 or more pupils taught by one teacher1997 to 2004 -- Position in January each yearLeicestershire local education authority
		
			   Number of pupils in classes of 31 or more 
			  Total pupils in all classes Number of pupils Percentage of pupils(38) 
		
		
			 1997(39) 30,324 7,098 23.4 
			 1998 20,311 4,407 21.7 
			 1999 19,696 3,497 17.8 
			 2000 19,977 2,464 12.3 
			 2001 20,560 1,033 5.0 
			 2002 20,112 280 1.4 
			 2003(40) 18,077 436 2.4 
			 2004(40) 17,720 818 4.6 
		
	
	(37)Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(38)Percentage of pupils in those classes expressed as a percentage of pupils in all classes taught by one teacher.
	(39)Before local Government reorganisation.
	(40)From 2003 reception classes were returned alongside nursery classes as foundation stage for the first time. Therefore, reception classes have been included in the key stage 1 figures to produce a coverage as close as possible to that available for previous years.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census

Congestion Charge

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on congestion (a) charges and (b) penalty charge notices by the Department since the commencement of the congestion charging scheme.

Derek Twigg: Since the commencement of the congestion charging scheme the Department has spent,
	(a) £5,300 on registering two official vans;
	(b) £368 in respect of one penalty charge for an official vehicle.
	Departmental employees incurring congestion charges while on official business claim these on an individual basis. Information regarding this expenditure is not held centrally. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It is departmental policy that penalty charges are not reimbursed to individuals.

Correspondence

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will reply to the letter dated 5 March 2004 sent to her predecessor by the hon. Member for Brent, East regarding Mr. Christopher McMahon.

Derek Twigg: My right hon. Friend the then Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education replied to the hon. Member's letter dated 5 March on 30 March.

Early Years Education

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many free nursery and pre-reception class places have been created for three, four and five-year-olds in the constituency of Stockton, South since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: All four-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since September 1998. All three-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since April 2004.
	The available information on the numbers of free part-time early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Stockton-on-Tees local education authority area and parliamentary constituencies within Stockton-on-Tees local education authority area since 1997 is shown in the tables.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 39/2004 Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2004 (final)", which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
	
		Number of free nursery education places(41)taken up 3 and 4-year-olds—Stockton local education authority area -- Position in January each year
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			  Maintained nursery and primary schools(42) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools(43) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 2,400 n/a 2,400 n/a n/a (44)2,500 
			 1998 2,200 n/a 2,200 n/a n/a (44)2,400 
			 1999 2,000 n/a 2,000 n/a n/a (44)2,200 
			 2000 1,900 (45)70 2,000 n/a n/a (44)2,200 
			 2001 1,800 (45)100 1,900 n/a n/a (44)2,300 
			 2002 1,700 (45)220 1,900 2,100 (44)90 2,200 
			 2003 1,600 (45)110 1,700 2,100 (46)120 2,200 
			 2004 1,600 (45)220 1,800 2,100 (48)140 2,200 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	(41)Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
	(42)Headcount of children aged three at 31st December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(43)Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(44)Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(45)Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(46)Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census supplementary data collection exercise and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(47)Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(48)Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	
		Number of free nursery education places(49)taken up 3 and 4-year-olds by parliamentary constituencyStockton local education authority area -- Position in January 2004
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			  Maintained nursery and primary schools(50) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(51) Total 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools(52) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(53) Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 Stockton North 760 70 830 940 60 1,000 
			 Stockton South 860 150 1,000 1,100 80 1,200 
			
			 Stockton LEA Total 1,600 220 1,800 2,100 140 2,200 
		
	
	(49)Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
	(50)Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(51)Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(52)Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(53)Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	Changes in pupil figures may arise from changes to the underlying population in the local education authority area and other factors. However, my Department does not publish population figures for individual age cohorts at sub-national level because of the unreliability of the underlying population estimates. The Office for National Statistics publish sub-national population estimates in five-year age bands.

Early Years Education

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many free early years education places were taken up in Bedford and Kempston in (a) 1997 and (b) 2004.

Margaret Hodge: All four year olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since September 1998. All three-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since April 2004.
	The available information on the numbers of free part-time early education places taken up by three and four year olds in Bedford parliamentary constituency and Bedfordshire local education authority area is shown in the tables. Information for private and voluntary providers is available for Bedfordshire but not for Bedford constituency.
	
		Number of free nursery education places(54)taken up by 3and 4year olds Bedfordshire local education authority area 1997 and 2004  -- Position in January each year
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			  Maintained nursery and primary schools(55) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total Maintained nursery and primary schools(57) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 
		
		
			 1997 1,300 0 1,300 n/a n/a (59)4,700 
			 2004 1,250 (56)2,510 3,760 4,020 (58)770 4,790 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	1Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 places.
	2Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools Census.
	3Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census data collection exercise and the Annual Schools' Census.
	4Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools Census.
	(54)Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census data collection exercise and the Annual Schools Census.
	(55)Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	
		Number of free nursery education places(56)(5507400057)taken up by three and 4-year-olds in maintained nursery and primary schools, Bedford parliamentary constituency area 1997 and 2004 -- Position in January each year
		
			  3-year-olds  4-year olds 
			  Maintained nursery schools Maintained primary schools Total Maintained nursery schools Maintained primary schools Total 
		
		
			 1997 150 190 0 340 100 130 700 910 
			 2004 100 250 0 340 50 130 640 820 
		
	
	(56)Headcount of children aged three and four at 31 December in the previous calendar year.
	2Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 places.
	3Includes reception classes and classes not designated as nursery classes.
	Source: Annual Schools Census.
	Changes in pupil figures may arise from changes to the underlying population in the local education authority area and other factors. However, my Department does not publish population figures for individual age cohorts at sub-national level because of the unreliability of the underlying population estimates. The Office for National Statistics publish sub-national population estimates in five-year age bands.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 39/2004 Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2004 (final)", which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Leonardo da Vinci Committee met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Leonardo da Vinci programme Committee met twice during the Italian presidency on 17 September 2003 and 17–18 November 2003. It met twice during the Irish presidency on13 February 2004 and 26 April 2004 and three times during the Dutch presidency on 17 September 2004, 11 November 2004 and 16 December 2004. All the meetings were held in Brussels apart from the last of the Dutch presidency which was held in Maastricht. The meetings were attended by officials from the joint international unit of my Department and the Department for Work and Pensions.
	I refer the hon. Member to the series of Command Papers on the prospects for the EU—Cm6174 laid in April 2004, Cm6310 laid in September 2004 and Cm6450 laid in February 2005, which cover the periods of the above presidencies and are available on the FCO website at www.fco.gov.uk/commandpapers.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Committee for the implementation of the community action programme concerning co-operation policy in the youth field, including European voluntary service and youth exchanges within the community and with third countries (YOUTH), met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The YOUTH programme committee met once in each of the Italian, Irish and Dutch presidencies. The meetings took place on 5 December 2003, 22 June 2004 and 15 October 2004 and all were held in Brussels. The meetings were attended by an official from the joint international unit of my Department and the Department for Work and Pensions and by a representative of the UK National Agency.
	I refer the hon. Member to the series of Command Papers on the prospects for the EU—Cm6174 laid in April 2004, Cm6310 laid in September 2004 and Cm6450 laid in February 2005, which cover the periods of the above presidencies and are available on the FCO website at www.fco.gov.uk/commandpapers.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the advisory committee on medical training met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement.

John Hutton: I have been asked to reply.
	The advisory committee on medical training was set up to advise the European Commission and member states on matters relating to the training of workers whose professions come under sectoral directives guaranteeing free movement and automatic recognition of qualifications.
	The advisory committees have not met during the last three years and are not likely to do so again.

Marriage and Relationship Support

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding her Department has made available for (a) marriage and relationship support agencies and (b) parenting and family agencies in each year since 1997; how many (i)marriage and relationship support agencies and (ii)parenting and family agencies have received such funding in each year since 1997, broken down by agency; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: As a result of the machinery of Government changes in June 2003, responsibility for marriage and relationship support policy and funding transferred to DfES from the Department for Constitutional Affairs, previously the Lord Chancellor's Department; and responsibility for parenting and family support policy and funding transferred to DfES from the Home Office.
	In 2003–04 the DfES made £14.9 million available to voluntary and community sector organisations specialising in marriage and relationship support and/or parenting and family support. This has been distributed as follows:
	
		
			 Programme Grants Budget (£) 
		
		
			 Marriage and relationship  support grant 44 Projects delivered 5.0 
			 Parenting and family support 125 grants, 132 projects 9.4 
		
	
	In 2004–05, the DfES made £24.9 million available to voluntary and community sector organisations specialising in marriage and relationship support and/or parenting and family support. This has been distributed as follows:
	
		
			 Programme Grants Budget (£) 
		
		
			 Marriage and relationship  support grant 33 Organisations to deliver  42 projects 4.9 
			 Parenting and family support 100 grants; 139 projects 20

Marriage and Relationship Support

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding is available in 2004–05 to couples for relationship counselling (a) within marriage, (b) outside marriage and (c) where there are children in the relationship; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Marriage and Relationship Support Grant (MARS) has provided funding of £4.9 million in 2004–05 to voluntary and community sector groups specialising in the provision of help, advice and information to support people to maintain successful relationships with their partners. The MARS Grant does not directly fund the provision of counselling services. It is used for work to prevent relationship problems and so to provide a stable environment for any children in the family.
	The MARS Grant has now been amalgamated with the former Family Support Grant to form the Strengthening Families Grant. The same amount of money is available for relationship support. Adult relationship support services remain an important and integral element of the range of family support services funded by the Department.

Ministerial Stationery

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on official ministerial (a) business cards, (b) headed paper and (c) compliment slips in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The cost of official ministerial (a) business cards, (b) headed paper and (c) compliment slips comes out of the general stationery budget and we do not have a breakdown for these individual items. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Offenders' Learning and Skills Service

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the creation of the Offenders' Learning and Skills Service will affect offender learning provision in Wales.

Ivan Lewis: The new arrangements for offender learning and skills in Wales (and in England) will make the provision for offender learners considerably better. An early focus on advice, guidance and assessment will secure a tightly focused Individual Learning Plan that will accompany the offender learner through the Criminal Justice System. The Plan will ensure that learning needs continue to be met as he or she passes through the System's principal points of transition.
	We will substantially enhance offender learners' chances of employment on release—and successful resettlement—through significantly greater planning and co-ordinated funding of learning. A particular focus on the needs of the labour market will make the provision much more relevant to the needs of employers.
	The new learning offer is described in The Offender's Learning Journey". I have arranged for a copy of this document to be placed in the Library.

Offenders' Learning and Skills Service

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the projected budget for the offenders' learning and skills service is for the next three years; and what ring-fencing of these budgets will take place.

Ivan Lewis: This Department currently has a ring-fenced budget for offenders' learning and skills of £152.5 million for each of the years 2005–06, 2006–07 and 2007–08.

Parking

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on (a) provision of parking spaces for civil servants and (b) parking tickets and penalties incurred by civil servants in the Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills provides 660 car parking spaces at its four headquarter sites, all of which, form part of the physical estate and therefore incur no additional costs.
	Parking tickets and penalties incurred by civil servants remain the responsibility of the individuals.

Postage

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on postage by the Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills has spent the following on postage since 1997:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2003–04 607,497 
			 2002–03 763,931 
			 2001–02 654,160 
			 2000–01 749,150 
			 1999–2000 806,590 
			 1998–99 (57)— 
			 1997–98 (57)— 
		
	
	(57)This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The figures provided include first and second class postal/poundage charges and expenditure incurred through the use of business reply.
	The departmental policy is that all outgoing mail is sent second class unless there is a business need for the item to be sent at premium rate.

Post-compulsory Education

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of 16-year-olds were in post-compulsory education in England in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03, (c) 2003–04 and (d) 2004–05, broken down by region.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 21 February 2005
	The latest published local participation estimates for 16-year-olds in education and Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funded work based learning (WBL) in England are for end 2001 (2001–02 academic year). Local participation estimates for end 2002 and end 2003 (provisional) are due to be published in March 2005 together with a consistent historic participation time series.
	Participation estimates of education and LSC funded WBL by 16-year-olds in England, broken down by region, for end 2001 are given in Table 1.
	The data are taken from the Department's Statistical Bulletin entitled, Participation in education and training by 16 and 17-year-olds in each local area in England, end 2001".
	
		Table 1: Participation in education and LSC funded WBLby region in England for end 2001  -- Percentage
		
			  Full-time education Education and LSC funded WBL 
		
		
			 England 71 82 
			 North East 67 88 
			 North West 67 81 
			 Yorkshire and the Number 67 83 
			 East Midlands 68 82 
			 West Midlands 69 82 
			 East of England 72 81 
			 London 74 82 
			 South East 74 82 
			 South West 74 84

Pre-school Funding (Warrington)

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding has been provided for (a) nursery and (b) pre-school education in Warrington in each of the last seven years.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested. Funding for nursery and pre-school education has been provided through a mixture of nursery education grant and education standard spending (up till 2002–03) and education formula spending (from 2003–04). The new education formula spending system is not directly comparable with the old education standard spending assessments at sub-block level. This is because the coverage of the sub-blocks and the amount of resources allocated within them changed significantly in 2003–04. Therefore the figures are not comparable between 2002–03 and 2003–04.
	The figures in the following table provide details of the resources provided for Warrington from 1998–99 together with estimated figures for 1997–98 (Warrington was part of Cheshire in 1997–98). Funding through education standard spending assessments and education formula spending shares is unhypothecated.
	
		£ million
		
			  
		
		
			 School spending assessments plus nursery education grant (vouchers in 1997–98) in cash terms 
			 1997–98 4.1 
			 1998–99 5.9 
			 1999–2000 5.5 
			 2000–01 6.7 
			 2001–02 6.8 
			 2002–03 7.4 
			 Nursery sub-block from education formula spending in cash terms including pensions 
			 2003–04 10.2 
			 2004–05 10.4 
		
	
	Notes:
	Price base: cash
	1997–98 figures for LEAs subject to local Government reorganisation in that year have been estimated, pro-rata to their post LGR figures.
	Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of education SSA/EFS settlements and include the pensions transfer to EPS for 2003–04 and 2004–05
	Total funding shown includes nursery education grant for 1998–99 to 2002–03 and nursery vouchers in 1997–98. Extra funding through schools standards grant and standards fund is not included as it is not possible to identify how much of these grants are spent on under fives.
	Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million.

Pupil Referral Units

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupil referral units there are in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each local education authority.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Number of pupil referral units: January 2004—by local education authority area
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 England 426 
			   
			 North-east 20 
			 Darlington 1 
			 Durham 1 
			 Gateshead 1 
			 Hartlepool 1 
			 Middlesbrough 4 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1 
			 North Tyneside 4 
			 Northumberland 1 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1 
			 South Tyneside 2 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 2 
			 Sunderland 1 
			   
			 North-west 67 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 2 
			 Blackpool 1 
			 Bolton 11 
			 Bury 2 
			 Cheshire 0 
			 Cumbria 3 
			 Halton 2 
			 Knowsley 2 
			 Lancashire 16 
			 Liverpool 1 
			 Manchester 4 
			 Oldham 0 
			 Rochdale 1 
			 Salford 4 
			 Sefton 3 
			 St. Helens 2 
			 Stockport 3 
			 Tameside 3 
			 Trafford 2 
			 Warrington 1 
			 Wigan 3 
			 Wirral 1 
			   
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 43 
			 Barnsley 2 
			 Bradford 4 
			 Calderdale 1 
			 Doncaster 6 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 2 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 5 
			 Kirklees 2 
			 Leeds 4 
			 North East Lincolnshire 3 
			 North Lincolnshire 2 
			 North Yorkshire 2 
			 Rotherham 3 
			 Sheffield 3 
			 Wakefield 2 
			 York 2 
			   
			 East Midlands 29 
			 Derby 1 
			 Derbyshire 6 
			 Leicester 3 
			 Leicestershire 3 
			 Lincolnshire 5 
			 Northamptonshire 4 
			 Nottingham 3 
			 Nottinghamshire 4 
			 Rutland 0 
			   
			 West Midlands 51 
			 Birmingham 3 
			 Coventry 4 
			 Dudley 3 
			 Herefordshire 3 
			 Sandwell 5 
			 Shropshire 1 
			 Solihull 3 
			 Staffordshire 5 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 3 
			 Telford and Wrekin 4 
			 Walsall 3 
			 Warwickshire 1 
			 Wolverhampton 4 
			 Worcestershire 9 
			   
			 East of England 37 
			 Bedfordshire 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 5 
			 Essex 6 
			 Hertfordshire 8 
			 Luton 2 
			 Norfolk 4 
			 Peterborough 1 
			 Southend-on-Sea 1 
			 Suffolk 8 
			 Thurrock 1 
			   
			 London 69 
			   
			 Inner London 27 
			 Camden 2 
			 City of London 0 
			 Hackney 2 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2 
			 Haringey 1 
			 Islington 5 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1 
			 Lambeth 3 
			 Lewisham 3 
			 Newham 1 
			 Southwark 3 
			 Tower Hamlets 1 
			 Wandsworth 2 
			 Westminster 1 
			   
			 Outer London 42 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1 
			 Barnet 2 
			 Bexley 2 
			 Brent 6 
			 Bromley 2 
			 Croydon 5 
			 Ealing 2 
			 Enfield 3 
			 Greenwich 2 
			 Harrow 1 
			 Havering 3 
			 Hillingdon 1 
			 Hounslow 4 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2 
			 Merton 1 
			 Redbridge 2 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1 
			 Sutton 1 
			 Waltham Forest 1 
			   
			 South-east 70 
			 Bracknell Forest 2 
			 Brighton and Hove 0 
			 Buckinghamshire 5 
			 East Sussex 2 
			 Hampshire 7 
			 Isle of Wight 2 
			 Kent 10 
			 Medway 4 
			 Milton Keynes 4 
			 Oxfordshire 1 
			 Portsmouth 4 
			 Reading 3 
			 Slough 3 
			 Southampton 2 
			 Surrey 11 
			 West Berkshire 5 
			 West Sussex 2 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 2 
			 Wokingham 1 
			   
			 South-west 40 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 1 
			 Bournemouth 1 
			 Bristol, City of 5 
			 Cornwall 0 
			 Devon 6 
			 Dorset 5 
			 Gloucestershire 4 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 
			 North Somerset 3 
			 Plymouth 3 
			 Poole 1 
			 Somerset 7 
			 South Gloucestershire 1 
			 Swindon 1 
			 Torbay 1 
			 Wiltshire 1 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census

Secondments

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the people working within the Department on secondment from the private sector, broken down by (a) the organisation or industry they came from and (b) the policy responsibilities they have been given.

Derek Twigg: pursuant to the reply, 26 January 2005, Official Report, c. 366–67W
	My Department currently has two individuals on secondment from the private sector. Caroline Hughes from Edexcel is seconded to the Skills for Life Unit and working on embedding skills for life qualifications into vocational qualifications. Ian Foyle is seconded for six months on a part time basis from Prospects Services Ltd., under the auspices of the CBI, and is currently contributing to the production of guidance for children's trusts on planning and commissioning skills.

Sure Start

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many families have received support from Sure Start in the constituency of Stockton, South.

Margaret Hodge: Stockton South has two Sure Start local programmes (Parkfield & Victoria and Mandale, Village & Stainsby) approved by the Sure Start Unit in December 2002 supporting around 1,560 young children and their families living in the area. They deliver a wide range of child, family health and parental support services seeing on average around 17 per cent. of these children. The Parkfield and Victoria local programme has visited 100 per cent. of families with newborn babies within the first two months of their child's life.
	Linked to these programmes are two neighbourhood nurseries delivering a total of 100 full daycare places. Both programmes were designated as children's centres in September 2004 and are contributing towards achieving our goal of a children's centre in every community by 2010.

Sure Start

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of the Sure Start programme on families in The Wrekin; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Telford and Wrekin local authority is served by two Sure Start local programmes: Sure Start Lawley Plus, which serves the communities in Lawley, Arleston and College, The Rock, Overdale and Newdale and Ketley Bank; and Sure Start Jubilee, which serves Madeley, Woodside and Cuckoo Oak. The programmes between them support over 1500 local young children and their families.
	Prior to the establishment of Sure Start Lawley Plus at the end of 1999, the area was identified as an isolated area with no early years infrastructure. It now has a nursery closely integrated with the local primary school and with social care and health services. It has strong links with the Carpenter Family Centre which has a parent and toddler group and training sessions. The programme also supports mothers with post-natal depression. It had meaningful contact with over 95 per cent. of the children in its catchment area in the year ending 31 March 2004.
	Sure Start Jubilee was approved in early 2003. It offers a range of services including family support through home visiting, parenting support, baby massage, home safety promotion and reading and early language development and support. It has had some success in reducing smoking during pregnancy and just under 19 per cent. of the mothers in the area gave up smoking prior to or during pregnancy. It is using its £1 million capital allocation towards two children's centres. One of these, Woodside children's centre will create a 64 place day nursery and family room in a building to which the PCT's health visiting team will relocate alongside the Sure Start team. The other, Sutton Hill children's centre will create 42 full day care places, training facilities and a health room. Although it was a very new programme at the time and had no dedicated building from which to deliver services, it had already had meaningful contact with some 17 per cent. of the children in its catchment area in the three months between its establishment and 31 March 2004.
	In addition to these services, between April 2003 and March 2004, both programmes contacted all pregnant women in their areas to give ante-natal advice and support. They also both visited 100 per cent. of these families within two months of the baby being born. In the last annual satisfaction survey, some 92 per cent. of families who responded said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the local services for young children.

Sure Start

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the effects of the Sure Start programme in (a) Whitmore Reans and (b) Dunstall, Wolverhampton.

Margaret Hodge: One Sure Start programme serves both the Whitmore Reans and Dunstall areas. It was approved in 2001 and supports around 870 young local children and their families. It delivers a wide range of services to support local families including family support in partnership with the Primary Care Trust (PCT); a support group for single parents; the provision of healthy eating advice to families, provision of safety equipment on a loan basis to families at a subsidised rate; a toy library; a crèche; play and stay as well as play groups; additional home visits by qualified midwife and health visitors and early assessment and referral for children with development delay.
	Since opening, this programme has helped to improve the quality of life for local families. For example it works closely with the smoking cessation programme run by the PCT and all staff have received training in ways to support parents and families who may want to give up smoking. All staff have been trained to be able to identify children with delayed language development and either apply strategies recommended by therapists or refer the families for specialist help.
	Local health visitors report back to the local programme on all women identified with post natal depression—so that support can be offered.
	Programme Monitoring shows that the programme has seen 700 of the 870 children in their catchment area since the programme opened (81 per cent.).
	The programme has strong parental participation both on the management board, which has six parent representatives with a parent vice chair and in activities where parents act as volunteers. It has a volunteer policy which aims to match skills gaps within the programme to the skills of the parents within the catchment area. This is used as a stepping stone to further training and ultimately employment. Volunteer parents can access all the training available to the programme staff.

Sure Start

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the impact of the Sure Start programme in the Dartford constituency.

Margaret Hodge: The Dartford Sure Start Local Programme has been running since September 2002 supporting 710 children and their families within Joyce Green, Littlebrook, Princes and Wilmington wards.
	The Programme delivers a wide range of services to support local people including; antenatal support, breast feeding classes, home visits by qualified midwife and health visitors; speech and language therapy; smoking cessation groups; young parents groups; training courses for parents on a range of subjects including self esteem, women's health, nutrition and weaning workshops;
	The programme has only been open for just over two years and has already made a real impact on the lives of the community. The Programme has provided the following information on its progress: they have seen—95 per cent. of all babies have been seen within two months of their birth, the percentage of pregnant women contacted by SSLP during their pregnancies also increased from 18.6 per cent. to 31.48 per cent.; number of mothers breast feeding at birth increased from 31.84 per cent. to 49.07 per cent. and the number of mothers smoking during pregnancy has reduced from 50 per cent. to 29 per cent. In the short time the programme had been open to September 2004; the programme had made contact with 40 per cent. of the children in its catchments area.
	The community has also got involved in the development of the Programme, there are six parents on the Management Board and parents have also been trained to work on the planned consultation and evaluation of the programme.
	The programme is working towards developing children's centre status, and its proposals for Temple Hill children's centre (Joyce Green ward) have been approved.

Targets

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many targets have been set in each year since 1997 by the Department; and, of these, which have been (a) met, (b) nearly met, (c) not met, (d) changed and (e) dropped.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 21 February 2005, Official Report, column 75W.

Vocational Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what strategy her Department is using to promote vocational education to those students not wishing to enter further academic study.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 21 February 2005
	Students wishing to follow a vocational pathway are currently able to gain access through a number of routes. These are available to all students. The Department's increased flexibility for 14 to 16-year-olds' programme creates and promotes enhanced vocational and work related learning opportunities. Our young apprenticeships programme also offers well motivated 14 to 16-year-olds the opportunity to pursue industry specific vocational programmes outside of school in partnership with employers. In September 2004 work related learning at Key Stage 4 became a statutory requirement. 8 GCSEs in vocational subjects were introduced in September 2002. Apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeships offer structured programmes of training in a wide range of occupations leading to a recognised qualification for learners of foundation degrees). We will shortly be publishing a White Paper which will set out our future plans for 14to19-year-olds.

Youth Education, Employment and Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people aged between (a) 16 and 18, (b) 18 and 21 and (c) 21 and 25 years in each parliamentary constituency were not in education, employment or training in 2004.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 21 February 2005
	The percentage of 16 to 19-year-olds and 20 to 24-year-olds who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) are given for each local education authority (LEA) in the table.
	These figures have been produced by combining information from the local Labour Force Survey for the last three years, to reduce the error margins around the NEET percentages. However, sample sizes are still very small due to the narrow age bands and small geographic area. The rates are volatile and care should be taken when interpreting the figures. An estimate of the confidence interval is provided, to aid with interpretation. Where fewer than 10 people who took part in the survey in a given LEA were NEET, the information has been suppressed as it would be potentially disclosive or particularly unreliable.
	Figures are not available for the specified age groups, nor for parliamentary constituency, as sample sizes are too small for these narrow groups.
	
		Percentage of age group not in employment, education or training (NEET)
		
			  16 to 19-year-olds 20 to 24-year-olds 
			 Local education authorities NEET (%) Confidence interval NEET (%) Confidence interval 
		
		
			 City of London (58)— (58)— (58)— (58)— 
			 Camden 15 6.3 14 4.6 
			 Greenwich 18 5.9 21 6.0 
			 Hackney 17 6.3 19 5.4 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham18 7.8 11 4.2 
			 Islington 20 7.0 20 5.8 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 12 5.9 8 4.4 
			 Lambeth 13 5.8 13 4.9 
			 Lewisham 20 7.2 20 5.4 
			 Southwark 17 6.2 21 5.8 
			 Tower Hamlets 16 4.5 25 4.3 
			 Wandsworth 13 5.7 13 4.0 
			 Westminster, City of 12 5.1 16 4.3 
			 Barking and Dagenham 26 7.1 21 6.0 
			 Barnet 9 5.0 14 5.2 
			 Bexley 12 5.2 9 4.9 
			 Brent 9 3.8 13 4.1 
			 Bromley 14 6.6 10 5.5 
			 Croydon 11 4.6 15 5.1 
			 Ealing 9 4.9 13 5.0 
			 Enfield 15 6.5 13 5.4 
			 Haringey 20 6.9 24 7.0 
			 Harrow (58)— (58)— 11 5.4 
			 Havering 9 4.9 9 5.1 
			 Hillingdon 10 5.0 11 5.0 
			 Hounslow 11 4.6 13 5.0 
			 Kingston-Upon-Thames (58)— (58)— 7 3.9 
			 Merton 12 6.6 12 5.7 
			 Newham 16 4.6 24 5.1 
			 Redbridge 10 4.7 21 6.1 
			 Richmond-Upon-Thames(58)— (58)— 14 7.5 
			 Sutton (58)— (58)— 11 5.2 
			 Waltham Forest 18 6.3 20 5.6 
			 Birmingham 16 3.2 23 3.4 
			 Coventry 13 3.4 13 3.3 
			 Dudley 10 4.1 17 4.9 
			 Sandwell 17 4.2 22 4.6 
			 Solihull 10 3.4 9 3.4 
			 Walsall 12 3.8 24 5.2 
			 Wolverhampton 12 4.0 27 4.8 
			 Knowsley 17 3.9 25 5.1 
			 Liverpool 18 3.9 20 3.8 
			 St. Helens 10 4.1 18 5.0 
			 Sefton 9 3.1 21 4.7 
			 Wirral 12 3.6 19 4.7 
			 Bolton 11 3.5 16 4.6 
			 Bury 14 4.3 16 4.9 
			 Manchester 16 3.9 20 3.4 
			 Oldham 14 4.4 28 5.6 
			 Rochdale 15 4.4 24 5.0 
			 Salford 20 4.7 19 4.2 
			 Stockport 7 3.5 12 4.9 
			 Tameside 11 4.1 15 4.4 
			 Trafford 9 3.3 14 4.1 
			 Wigan 16 4.5 16 4.3 
			 Barnsley 19 4.3 26 5.2 
			 Doncaster 15 4.0 25 4.9 
			 Rotherham 16 3.9 17 4.3 
			 Sheffield 12 3.8 16 3.7 
		
	
	
		Percentage of age group not in employment, education or training (NEET)
		
			  16 to 19-year-olds 20 to 24-year-olds 
			 Local education authorities NEET (%) Confidence interval NEET (%) Confidence interval 
		
		
			 Bradford 16 3.7 25 4.3 
			 Calderdale 13 4.8 22 5.1 
			 Kirklees 12 3.7 22 4.8 
			 Leeds 10 2.8 9 2.5 
			 Wakefield 15 4.1 15 4.1 
			 Gateshead 15 4.2 19 4.4 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 15 4.0 13 3.0 
			 North Tyneside 15 4.1 20 4.8 
			 South Tyneside 16 3.6 24 4.4 
			 Sunderland 15 3.6 21 4.0 
			 Cornwall (58)— (58)— (58)— (58)— 
			 Bath and North East Somerset5 2.4 10 3.0 
			 Bristol 6 2.9 13 3.4 
			 North Somerset 6 3.0 14 4.9 
			 South Gloucestershire (58)— (58)— 8 3.3 
			 Hartlepool 22 4.7 25 4.9 
			 Middlesbrough 13 3.5 27 4.6 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 21 4.3 27 5.2 
			 Stockton on Tees 16 4.2 20 4.8 
			 Kingston Upon Hull 19 4.3 21 4.0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 7 3.1 15 5.2 
			 North East Lincolnshire 15 4.0 25 4.9 
			 North Lincolnshire 9 3.6 22 5.2 
			 North Yorkshire 6 2.8 14 4.5 
			 York 9 3.5 7 2.9 
			 Bedfordshire 7 2.9 11 3.5 
			 Luton 13 3.6 18 3.8 
			 Buckinghamshire 7 3.2 13 4.2 
			 Milton Keynes 7 3.2 14 3.7 
			 Derbyshire 12 3.4 20 4.1 
			 Derby 18 4.6 18 3.9 
			 Dorset 7 3.2 11 4.6 
			 Poole 13 4.5 12 4.2 
			 Bournemouth 11 3.4 8 2.7 
			 Durham 14 4.1 27 5.2 
			 Darlington 15 5.0 18 4.7 
			 East Sussex 8 3.2 15 4.9 
			 Brighton and Hove 7 3.4 11 3.1 
			 Hampshire 8 2.2 12 2.7 
			 Portsmouth 10 3.5 12 3.4 
			 Southampton 15 4.3 9 2.5 
			 Leicestershire 7 2.6 10 3.4 
			 Leicester 12 3.4 20 3.7 
			 Rutland (58)— (58)— 21 10.1 
			 Staffordshire 8 2.7 12 3.1 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 17 4.0 16 4.0 
			 Wiltshire 6 2.9 8 3.6 
			 Swindon 7 3.7 10 4.0 
			 Bracknell Forest 9 3.8 12 4.5 
			 Royal Windsor/Maidenhead8 3.9 14 4.5 
			 West Berkshire 5 2.7 11 3.9 
			 Reading 11 3.9 15 3.5 
			 Slough 12 3.6 15 3.7 
			 Wokingham 5 2.9 11 4.5 
			 Cambridgeshire 9 3.4 12 3.9 
			 Greater Peterborough 11 3.6 20 4.6 
			 Cheshire 9 3.2 13 3.8 
			 Halton 14 3.8 27 5.3 
			 Warrington 11 4.1 15 4.9 
		
	
	
		Percentage of age group not in employment, education or training (NEET)
		
			  16 to 19-year-olds 20 to 24-year-olds 
			 Local education authorities NEET (%) Confidence interval NEET (%) Confidence interval 
		
		
			 Devon 6 3.0 14 4.1 
			 Plymouth 17 4.2 16 3.5 
			 Torbay 11 3.8 16 4.7 
			 Essex 12 2.6 15 2.8 
			 Southend 11 4.0 18 4.4 
			 Thurrock 14 4.1 13 3.8 
			 Hereford 10 3.3 13 4.6 
			 Worcestershire 8 3.1 14 4.3 
			 Kent 12 2.5 17 3.0 
			 Medway Towns 13 4.0 17 4.5 
			 Lancashire 9 2.4 15 3.0 
			 Blackburn 12 3.6 23 4.7 
			 Blackpool 15 4.4 19 4.7 
			 Nottinghamshire 10 3.1 16 3.6 
			 Nottingham 15 3.6 15 3.2 
			 Shropshire 7 3.5 15 5.5 
			 Telford and Wrekin 12 3.7 15 4.0 
			 Cornwall 8 3.1 16 4.5 
			 Cumbria 9 3.5 15 4.8 
			 Gloucestershire 9 3.2 12 3.6 
			 Hertfordshire 5 1.9 14 2.9 
			 Isle of Wight 9 3.6 21 5.4 
			 Lincolnshire 9 3.2 15 3.8 
			 Norfolk 10 3.1 14 3.4 
			 Northamptonshire 10 3.9 14 4.1 
			 Northumberland 16 4.2 17 4.4 
			 Oxfordshire 7 2.9 10 3.2 
			 Somerset 9 3.5 7 3.6 
			 Suffolk 9 3.3 18 4.3 
			 Surrey 6 2.3 12 3.0 
			 Warwickshire 15 4.7 13 4.2 
			 West Sussex 9 3.1 12 3.4 
			 Total 11 0.3 16 0.3 
		
	
	(58)The NEET estimate and Confidence Interval are not provided, as the number of people surveyed in the LEA is less that 10, and so results are potentially disclosive or particularly unreliable.
	Note:
	Figures for all three years have been combined to reduce the error margins around the NEET estimates.
	Source:
	Local Labour Force Survey for 2001, 2002 and 2003.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Autonomy plc

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what contracts for which her Department is responsible have been awarded to Autonomy plc.

Patricia Hewitt: The Department has not directly awarded any contracts to Autonomy plc.

Chartered Aircraft

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money her Department has spent on chartering aircraft in each of the past five years.

Patricia Hewitt: Travel by Ministers" makes it clear that special flights may be authorised when a scheduled service is not available, or when it is essential to travel by air, but the requirements of official or parliamentary business or security considerations or urgency preclude the journey being made by a scheduled service. In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government has published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Where RAF/private charter aircraft are used this is shown in the list. The Government has also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2004–05 will be published in due course.
	No costs have been incurred by the Department in the last five years on chartering aircraft for internal flights.

Civil Service Salaries

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average annual increase in gross salary was for the year 2003–04 for (a) staff below the senior civil service and (b) the senior civil service in her Department.

Patricia Hewitt: The available information for average annual increases in salary for DTI staff is presented as follows:
	
		Average annual increase per head 2003–04 for DTI staff,full time equivalents
		
			  Gross salary(59)(£) 
		
		
			 (a) Staff below the senior civil service(60) 1,070 
			 (b) Senior civil service(61) 3,436 
		
	
	(59)Annualised increase in gross salary ie salary before deductions for tax, national insurance etc.
	(60)Based on the pay award made on 1 August 2003.
	(61)Based on the pay award made on 1 April 2003.
	Note:
	These figures do not include the DTI agencies.

Cold Calling/Doorstep Selling

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to have completed her consultation on cold calling and doorstep selling; whether she expects to propose legislative measures in relation to these matters; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 21 February 2005
	Responses to the consultation are currently being analysed by officials and these will inform decisions on how best to proceed. Careful consideration is also being given to the impact of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) which may address many of the high pressured sales techniques of the sector.

Departmental Contracts

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many contracts in her Department have been granted to (a) EDS, (b) Fujitsu and (c) jointly in each of the last two years; whether they were open to competition; for what they were granted; for how much; over what period of time; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) From 2003 to 2004 four contracts were awarded to EDS. Three of these related to the broadband aggregation project and one related to management information.
	(b) The DTI has a long-term PFI contract with Fujitsu and orders to Fujitsu during this period were under this contract. The type of orders related to our existing IT infrastructure and associated services and applications. The PFI contract was of course the subject of a major competition and extends until 2014.
	The DTI is not disclosing the amounts for these particular contracts as this information is protected by Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (commercial prejudice).
	(c) No contracts were awarded jointly to EDS and Fujitsu.

Departmental Properties

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many properties are held by the Department; what total floor space these properties provide; how many properties are vacant; and how much floor space vacant properties comprise.

Patricia Hewitt: The Department has the lead responsibility for accommodation in twelve buildings on its HQ estate with a total floor space of 98,500 sq m. There are no empty properties.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Committee for implementation of multiannual framework programme for actions in the reinforcement of international co-operation (Synergy) met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The committee to which the hon. Member refers no longer meets. Aspects of its work have, since 2003, been undertaken by the Intelligent Energy Europe programme committee.
	This committee met on the following dates in Brussels:
	24 July 2003 (informal)
	8 October 2003
	5–6 February 2004
	15 September 2004
	8 December 2004
	The meetings were attended by a DTI and a Defra official.

European Constitution

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the impact of the Charter of Fundamental Rights within the EU Constitution on industrial relations law in the UK;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the impact of the Charter of Fundamental Rights within the EU Constitution on the rights of workers in the UK.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on 9 September 2004, Official Report, columns 133–35WS, which made it clear that the Charter of Fundamental Rights will have no practical impact upon UK industrial relations law or the rights of UK workers. The full statement is available in the Library of the House.
	The provisions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms are addressed to the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the European Union with due regard to the principle of subsidiarity and to the member states only when they are implementing Union Law. The Charter does not extend the scope of application of Union Law beyond the existing powers of the Union or establish any new power or task for the Union. Nor does it modify powers and tasks defined in the other parts of the constitutional treaty, which specifically excludes EU action on legislative areas such as pay, the right of association, the right to strike and the right to impose lock-outs.
	UK legislation on industrial relations maintains a balance between workers' rights to pursue legitimate disputes and employers' rights to conduct business without disruption from illegitimate industrial action. The Charter will not alter that balance.

External Consultants

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what work was commissioned by her Department's executive agencies to be carried out byexternal consultants and advisors in 2003–04.

Patricia Hewitt: I have asked the Chief Executives listed as follows to write to the hon. Member.
	Mr. Ron Marchant, Chief Executive of the Patent Office
	Mr. Desmond Flynn, Chief Executive of The Insolvency Service
	Dr. J W Llewellyn, Chief Executive of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory
	Ms Claire Clancy, Chief Executive of Companies House
	Ms Jeanne Spinks, Chief Executive of the Employment Tribunals Service
	Letter from Ron Marchant to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 21 February 2005
	House of Commons Parliamentary Question: 2004/837
	I am replying on behalf of the Patent Office to the above parliamentary question concerning work commissioned by the Department of Trade & Industry's executive agencies to be carried out by external consultants and advisors in 2003–04.
	The Patent Office has a limited requirement for such services. The cost of work carried out in 2003/04 by external consultants and advisors was £32,000 and covered surveys and feasibility studies for minor building alterations, staff objective setting and the implementation of an EC Directive.
	Letter from Desmond Flynn to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 21 February 2005
	The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of The Insolvency Service in respect of your question (2004/837) requesting information on money spent on external consultants and advisors in 2003–04.
	Money spent on external consultants and advisors during April 2003 to date amounts to £34,000. This expenditure was broken down between £18,000 on a Race Equality Impact Study and £16,000 on The Insolvency Service Help Line.
	Letter from Dr. J W Llewellyn to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 21 February 2005
	The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question regarding what work was commissioned by her Department's executive agencies to be carried out by external consultants and advisors in 2003–04.
	NWML commissioned external consultants and advisors to carry out work on a wide range of issues including Electronic Records Management, Market Surveillance, performance monitoring and IT Development in 2003/04. The total cost of their work was £68k.
	Letter from Claire Clancy to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 21 February 2005
	House of Commons Parliamentary Question: 2004/837
	To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what work was commissioned by her Department's executive agencies to be carried out by external consultants and advisors in 2003–04.
	I refer to the above Parliamentary Question that you have raised. I am replying to you as Chief Executive of Companies House.
	The details of the external consultants used and the costs for 2003/2004 are:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 IT consultancy 880,165 
			 Management consultancy 51,431 
			 Consultants for accommodation project 69,838 
			 Total 1,001,434 
		
	
	I hope that you will find this information useful.
	Letter from Jeanne Spinks to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 21 February 2005
	You asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what work was commissioned by her Department's executive agencies to be carried out by external consultants and advisors in 2003–04. I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Employment Tribunals Service.
	The major work commissioned was to research the benefits of, and develop the business case for, a computerised case-handling system which in addition will allow the sharing of information with Acas.
	The remainder of the work related to professional advice on premises management and development.

Homeworkers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to strengthen the employment rights of homeworkers (a) to enable them to claim the minimum wage and (b) to give them greater legal protection.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government introduced regulations last year so that employers have to pay output workers (including homeworkers) either the minimum wage for every hour they work or pay a fair piece rate that allows an average worker to earn the minimum wage. From April 2005 the fair piece rates will need to be multiplied-up by 1.2, at which point most homeworkers should be entitled to the minimum wage.
	We have also been considering the position of homeworkers as part of the Employment Status Review and aim to issue a response this year.

Human Rights Act

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cases have been brought against her Department under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what the cost has been in (a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments.

Patricia Hewitt: We do not collect central records of all cases in which the Human Rights Act 1998 is relied on. Human rights are now integrated in the general law and are rarely the sole basis for a challenge. We do monitor centrally those cases which we consider may be of particular significance to this Department.
	We do not collect separate information centrally about the costs to public funds, legal fees or compensation payments in cases which include a human rights issue. In most cases it will be difficult to single out associated costs relating to the human rights element.

Labour Statistics (Greater London)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of how many jobs have moved abroad from the Greater London area in each of the last three years.

Douglas Alexander: The Government does not collect data from which such estimates could be made. However, employment in the Greater London area has remained broadly constant over the last three years:
	
		
			 December to November Number employed 
		
		
			 2000–01 3,298,000 
			 2001–02 3,319,000 
			 2002–03 3,310,000 
			 2003–04 3,327,000 
		
	
	Source:
	Local Area Labour Force Survey.

Halliburton

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many export credit guarantees have been entered into by subsidiaries of Halliburton in each year since 1997; what the terms were of the deals for each of these guarantees; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: ECGD has issued guarantees in respect of the following loans supporting UK exporters in which Halliburton has an interest:
	1999
	$231.4 million for work by Dresser Kellogg Energy Services Ltd. to develop a gas-field in South Africa. The majority of this loan has already been prepaid. The remainder is payable in half-yearly instalments ending in 2010.
	2002
	$215 million for work by M. W. Kellogg Ltd. in the construction of two gas liquefaction units in Nigeria. The loan is to be repaid in half-yearly instalments ending in 2010.
	2004
	$10.5 million for work by Kellogg, Brown and Root in connection with an oilfield in Kazakhstan. The loan is to be repaid in half-yearly instalments ending in 2011.

Queen's Flight

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions departmental Ministers have used the Queen's Flight in each of the past five years.

Patricia Hewitt: Travel by Ministers" makes it clear that special flights may be authorised when a scheduled service is not available, or when it is essential to travel by air, but the requirements of official or parliamentary business or security considerations or urgency preclude the journey being made by a scheduled service. In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Where RAF/private charter aircraft are used this is shown in the list. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2004–05 will be published in due course.
	In addition an RAF aircraft was used for an internal visit on one occasion in June 2002.

Regional Venture Capital Funds

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many formal applications have been made to each regional venture capital fund up to 31 December 2004.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 21 February 2005
	As at 31 December 2004 a total of 299 potential investment opportunities had been formally considered for support by the nine Regional Venture Capital Funds (RVCFs), these are broken down by English region in the following table:
	
		
			 RVCF Number of applications presented to investment committee 
		
		
			 South East 35 
			 South West 20 
			 London 49 
			 East of England 18 
			 East Midlands 51 
			 West Midlands 28 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 28 
			 North East 25 
			 North West 45 
			 Total: 299

Regional Venture Capital Funds

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses in each region have been assisted by regional venture capital funds as at 31 December 2004.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 21 February 2005
	Set out in the table below is a breakdown of the number of SMEs invested in each Regional Venture Capital Fund, as at 31 December 2004.
	
		
			 RVCF Number of different SMEs invested in 
		
		
			 South East 26 
			 South West 6 
			 London 17 
			 East of England 4 
			 East Midlands 26 
			 West Midlands 21 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 9 
			 North East 25 
			 North West 21

Sickness Absence

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what initiatives her Department is taking to reduce the numbers of sick days taken by staff in the Department.

Patricia Hewitt: The DTI takes the management of sickness absence very seriously and is tightening up procedures for reporting, improving data collection and handling absences, including coaching managers on dealing with specific cases.

Staff Identity Passes

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of producing a staff identity pass was in the Department on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many staff identity passes have been reported lost or stolen in each year since 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: The current cost of producing a DTIidentity pass is £1.17 (including VAT). The number of DTI passes which have been lost or stolen on a year-by-year basis, April to March, since 1997 are as follows:
	
		
			  Passes Lost/Stolen 
		
		
			 1996–97 123 
			 1997–98 105 
			 1998–99 115 
			 1999–2000 66 
			 2000–01 90 
			 2001 98 
			 2002–03 80 
			 2003–04 125 
			 2004 (to end December) 82 
		
	
	There is nothing on the pass to indicate that it belongs to a DTI staff member.

Sub-postmasters' Contract

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date she expects the Office of Fair Trading to make a final adjudication on the complaint made by the Association of Convenience Stores with respect to the contract between sub-postmasters and Post Office Limited; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This is a matter for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). My officials have asked colleagues at the OFT to write to you with any information they can provide about progress with this case.

Targets

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many targets have been set in each year since 1997 by the Department; and, of these, which have been (a) met, (b) nearly met, (c) not met, (d) changed and (e) dropped.

Patricia Hewitt: Since the 1998 comprehensive spending review the Department's key objectives have been set out in public service agreements (PSA), which include high-level performance targets. Progress against these targets has been reported every year since then in the Department's annual expenditure plans and departmental reports.
	The Department's annual reports also cover progress against a range of other departmental targets, for example in relation to diversity in public appointments and the Department's environmental performance.
	Since December 2002 the Department has provided further mid-year updates on progress towards delivering its PSA targets in annual autumn performance reports.
	Details of these reports are given as follows:
	The Government's expenditure plans 1998–99 Cm 3905
	The Government's expenditure plans 1999–2000 to 2001–02 Cm 4211
	The Government's expenditure plans 2000–01 2001–02 Cm4611
	www.dti.gov.uk/expenditure/
	The Government's expenditure plans 2001–02 to 2003–04 Cm5112
	www.dti.gov.uk/expenditureplan/expenditure 2001/
	The Government's expenditure plans 2002–03 to 2003–04 Cm5416
	www/dti.gov.uk/expenditureplan/expenditure 2002/index.shtml
	Departmental report 2003 Cm 5916
	www.dti.gov.uk/expenditureplan/report2003/
	Departmental report 2004 Cm 6216
	www.dti.gov.uk/expenditureplan/report2003/
	Autumn performance report 2002 Cm 5731
	www.dti.gov.uk/about/apr/
	Autumn performance report 2003 Cm 6067
	www.dti.gov.uk/about/apr/2003.pdf
	Autumn performance report 2004 Cm 6422
	www.dti.gov.uk/pdfs/DTI_Autumn_Performance_Report_ 2004.pdf

Textiles

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions the Department has had with the Ministry of Defence about the procurement of textiles.

Nigel Griffiths: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State chairs an inter-departmental committee on public procurement on which the Ministry of Defence is represented and at which a range of public procurement issues are discussed. This Department's officials also have regular contact with officials in MoD on procurement issues, including textiles.

Training and Development

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the costs of departmental (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department were in each year since 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: DTI is committed to providing access to learning and development for its staff. This will ensure they have the right skills and expertise to enable them to meet their customer's needs and deliver the Department's business objectives effectively.
	The cost for staff learning during FY 2003–04 (and the budget for 2004–05) was around £4.8 million. To provide more detailed information would be possible only at disproportionate cost.

UK-based Companies (Complaints)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints were received by her Department in each year since 1997 regarding the actions of UK-based companies abroad; what procedure has been established to deal with such complaints; and if she will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The primary locus for my Department in dealing with complaints regarding the actions of UK-based companies abroad is the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. A National Contact Point (NCP) was created when the Guidelines were revised in 2000 for discussions with the parties concerned on all matters covered by the Guidelines so that it can contribute to the solution of problems that may arise in this connection.
	The number of cases (specific instances) that has arisen from complaints since 2000 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000 0 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 1 
			 2003 7 
			 2004 0 
		
	
	The NCP issued Statements on two of these cases, and one was resolved by the parties. The remainder are on-going.

Working Time Directive

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has had with trade unions on compliance by businesses with the Working Time Directive.

Gerry Sutcliffe: DTI Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives of both trade unions and business. We discuss many different employment issues, including how to ensure the Working Time Regulations made under the Working Time Directive are not abused.

Working Time Directive

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to ensure that businesses comply with the Working Time Directive.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Enforcement of the working time regulations is undertaken on DTFs behalf by a number of different authorities: the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), local authorities, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). These authorities follow up complaints about the regulations and, if necessary, have the power to initiate prosecutions. During the 12 months to 31 March 2004, the HSE Infoline received over 5,000 enquiries on working time issues. All those requiring further action were followed up. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) also provides advice and, if necessary, conciliation on matters relating to the working time regulations. Employees can pursue working time entitlements through employment tribunals.

World Trade Organisation

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what basis the World Trade Organisation's Dispute Settlement Body rests its authority; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Dispute Settlement Body is established under the provisions of the WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding which is set down in Annex 2 to the WTO Agreement.

World Trade Organisation

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment his Department has made of the (a) role, (b) composition and (c) work of the World Trade Organisation's Appellate Body; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Appellate Body is provided for in Article 17 of the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) which is an integral part of the WTO Agreement. Its function is to address appeals by WTO members of WTO panel rulings. Its mandate is limited to consideration of issues of law covered in the Panel report and legal interpretations developed by the Panel.
	The composition of the Appellate Body is determined by the provisions of Article 17 of the DSU. It is composed of seven members who are selected because of their recognised authority and demonstrated expertise in law, international trade and the subject matter of the WTO agreements.
	The Government considers that the Appellate Body has and continues to perform its task well and plays a valuable role in the resolution of disputes within the WTO and ensuring consistency in the interpretation of the multilateral trade agreements.

World Trade Organisation

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment his Department has made of the (a) function, (b) foundation and (c) make-up of the World Trade Organisation's Dispute Settlement Body; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Dispute Settlement Body meets as often as is necessary to carry out its functions under the Dispute Settlement Understanding. Among its main functions are:
	administering the rules and procedures applicable to WTO dispute settlement
	establishing WTO Panels, and adoption of Panel and Appellate Body reports
	to maintain surveillance and implementation of rulings and recommendations of Panel and Appellate Body reports, and
	to authorise the suspension of concessions and other obligations.
	The DSU is an integral part of the WTO agreement and has been accepted by all members of the WTO. It has the advantage of providing one dispute settlement process covering all of the agreements falling under the WTO umbrella.
	The Government considers that overall the WTO dispute settlement system has performed well since it entered into force in 1995.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Area Plan (Antrim)

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Antrim, Ballymena, Larne Area Plan will be published.

Angela Smith: In recent months the Planning Service has been reviewing the rapidly increasing and unprecedented workload pressures being faced by the agency. After careful consideration of the available options, it was decided to concentrate as much of the agency's resources as possible for a period of time on the operational side of the business.
	The reallocation of staff has had a knock-on effect on emerging area plans. Work is continuing on those plans that are at an advanced stage in the preparation process. However, progress on the remaining area plans, including Antrim, Ballymena and Larne, will be slower then previously programmed.
	The importance of delivering full area plan coverage is recognised and the Planning Service will move forward with the area plan programme as quickly as is feasible. At this point in time it is not possible to say precisely when this will be. Much will depend on how quickly the pressure on the operational side can be reduced. An announcement on revised timescales for the area plan programme, including the Antrim, Ballymena and Larne area plan, will be made in due course.

Armagh Observatory

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what budget has been allocated by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to Armagh observatory for the financial years (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05; and what budget is planned for 2005–06.

Angela Smith: The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure allocated £633,500 in 2003–04 and £666,000 in 2004–05 towards the running costs of the Armagh observatory. An indicative allocation of £666,500 is anticipated for 2005–06. The Department also provided an additional £115,000 in 2003–04 and £218,000 in 2004–05 to fund research and specific projects and includes £104,000 for work in respect of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Armagh Observatory

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Government have to develop, expand or enhance the facilities at Armagh observatory.

Angela Smith: The enhancement of the human orrery will continue with plans to add two outer stainless steel rings. Other plans to develop, expand or enhance the facilities at Armagh observatory would be matters for the director, committee and board of the Armagh observatory. The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure would consider any proposals put forward by the committee and board through the normal business planning processes.

Belfast Regeneration Office

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent by the Belfast Regeneration Office in each of the Belfast constituencies in each year since it was set up.

John Spellar: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only by means of a special administrative exercise that would entail a disproportionate cost.

Belfast Regeneration Office

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent by the Belfast Regeneration Office in each of the district electoral areas of north Belfast in each year since it was set up.

John Spellar: The information requested is not heldcentrally and could be obtained only by a special administrative exercise and would entail a disproportionate cost.

Catering Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on (a) entertainment lunches involving civil servants and guests and (b) working lunches, in each year since 1997.

Paul Murphy: Information is not available in the format requested by the hon. Member.
	The information requested is captured under overall entertainment" costs and these costs have previously been provided in the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 11 January 2005, Official Report, column 471W.

Charity Laws

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in bringing forward changes to charity laws in Northern Ireland following the recommendations of the Independent Monitoring Commission's report of November 2004.

John Spellar: The Department for Social Development has launched a public consultation exercise to seek views on proposed changes to the existing laws governing charities in Northern Ireland.
	The appointment of a Charities Commission and a Register of Charities in Northern Ireland are among the main proposals in a document called Consultation on the Review of Charities Administration and Legislation in Northern Ireland 2005" and published by the Department for Social Development.
	Charities in Northern Ireland make an immense contribution helping those in our society who are most in need. The proposed changes are designed to provide greater public confidence and will address concerns that the lack of tighter control of charities in Northern Ireland provides opportunities for abuse by organised criminal elements.

Child Mental Health Specialists

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many specialists in child mental health are employed by the North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust.

Angela Smith: Information requested is provided in the table as follows.
	
		Specialists in child mental health employed by North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust as at January 2005
		
			 Grade Headcount Whole-time equivalent 
		
		
			 Consultant Clinical Psychologist 1 0.9 
			 Clinical Psychologist 1 1.0 
			 Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist 1 1.0 
			 Total 3 2.9 
		
	
	Notes:
	North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust considers that specialist staff are those who have particular expertise in the field of Child and Adolescent Mental Health attendant upon their professional training and ongoing professional development including accredited training. The above staff have the competencies to independently provide community-based Tier 2 services across North and West Belfast and to work within a specialist multi-disciplinary Team at Tiers 3 and 4. Tier 2 services are concerned with the provision of child and adolescent mental health services with a focus on prevention and early intervention with children and adolescents with moderate mental health needs. Tier 3 (out-patient) and Tier 4 (in-patient) provide assessment and intervention of children and adolescents with the most complex mental health issues.

Child Mental Health Specialists

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision is made for children and young peoples' mental health in north Belfast.

Angela Smith: North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust provide Child and Adolescent Mental Health services through the Multi-Disciplinary Adolescent Team, the Children's Clinical Psychology Service, the Early Interventions Service, Children's Services Network and the Shankill Resource Centre. Specialist in-patient and out-patient services are accessed through the regional provider.

City of Derry Airport

John Hume: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects a decision to be made on the funding application for the safety works at City of Derry Airport; and what assessment has been made of the (a) safety and (b) regional economic implications of the time scale for making a decision.

John Spellar: I hope that an announcement can be made soon. Issues relating to the economic benefit to the northwest of investment in the airport, options for airport governance and state aid issues are still being considered. I am aware of the safety and regional economic issues involved in the time scale for making a decision.

Construction Industry Training Scheme

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the operation of the Construction Industry Training Scheme in Northern Ireland.

Barry Gardiner: The Construction Industry Training Scheme does not operate in Northern Ireland.
	The Construction Industry Training Board in Northern Ireland is the only remaining industrial training board and it raises annually a statutory levy to encourage training in the construction industry in Northern Ireland through:
	identifying and meeting industry training needs;
	encouraging new entrants to join the construction industry;
	providing training, training advice and grant aid to levy paying employers, and;
	monitoring training standards.

Department of Education (Judicial Review)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 26 January 2005, Official Report, column 421W, what the basis for the judicial review against the Department of Education and ELB was; who paid the costs of the case; and what the total amount involved was.

Barry Gardiner: The judicial review against the Department and the NEELB was sought on the grounds that refusal of transport assistance in respect of the Applicant was an infringement of human rights (Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights as incorporated by the Human Rights Act 1998). This application was dismissed by Mr. Justice Girvan.
	To date the Department has incurred costs of £4,509, and the NEELB has incurred costs of £8,519. However, the Department is awaiting receipt of a copy of the Court Order before final costs are calculated. Both the Department and the Board have agreed to pay their own costs. The costs associated with the Applicant's Solicitors plus Junior and Senior Council will be met by the Applicant.

Digital Hearing Aids

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to increase the number of people in the Province provided with digital hearing aids.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Lady to my answers of 15 September 2004, Official Report, column 1639W and 20 December 2004, Official Report, column 1424W.

Education and Library Boards

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether each of Northern Ireland's five education and library boards request the same standards of service from their transport providers.

Barry Gardiner: Education and library boards operate a common set of standards which relate to the appropriate transport legislation such as vehicle licensing, public service testing, insurance etc. Boards also insist on the continued maintenance of core standards of safety. They carry out spot checks to ensure that transport providers continue to meet these standards throughout the period of a contract.

Election Posters

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many party election posters were removed in each constituency by the Roads Service in each year since 1997 because they were not removed by the party responsible within the stipulated period; what the cost was in each year; and in what cases recompense was sought from the responsible party.

John Spellar: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Malcolm McKibbin to Mr. Nigel Dodds, dated February 2005
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding the number of party election posters that were removed in each constituency by the Roads Service in each year since 1997 because they were not removed by the party responsible within the stipulated period; what the cost was in each year; and in what cases recompense was sought from the responsible party. (216411). I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive or Roads Service.
	I should explain that the erection of election posters is governed by planning legislation and I understand that the Department of the Environment's Planning Service practice is to write to all political parties prior to elections, advising of the statutory regulations for the display of election posters. Under current legislation, all election posters are required to be removed within 14 days after the close of the relevant poll to which they relate.
	Although permission is not required from Roads Service for parties to erect election posters on our property, we have powers under Article 87 of the Roads (NI) Order 1993 to remove advertising signs, including election posters, from our property, to seek the recovery of costs and to prosecute those responsible for the signs. In practice, we prefer to persuade offenders to remove such signs themselves and only take stronger action if this proves necessary. Our approach normally begins with a courtesy call to the individual or organisation concerned and this action usually results in the vast majority of posters being removed.
	With regard to the recovery of costs involved, Roads Service policy prior to 2001 was to remove election posters without seeking reimbursement from the political parties. Consequently, there is no record of the number of posters removed, or the cost incurred by Roads Service, before 2001.
	Roads Service does not maintain details of the removal of election posters on a parliamentary constituency basis, however, the table below shows the posters removed by Roads Service Eastern Divisional area since 2001. Other Divisions have confirmed that requests to constituency offices for posters to be removed from specific locations have usually resulted in their removal and, that on the few occasions where posters have had to be removed by Roads Service staff, no records were kept.
	
		
			  Number of posters removed in Eastern Division Costs recovered (£) 
		
		
			 2001 150 500 
			 2002 0 0 
			 2003 0 0 
			 2004 17 300 
			 2005 2 (62)— 
		
	
	(62)Ongoing
	I hope this information is helpful.

Ferry Services

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department's intentions are regarding the reinstatement of the ferry service between Ballycastle and Campbeltown.

Barry Gardiner: The proposed reinstatement of the ferry service between Campbeltown and Ballycastle is a matter in which my colleagues in the Scottish Executive have lead responsibility. The views of Northern Ireland Office Ministers have recently been conveyed to the Minister for Transport in the Scottish Executive re-affirming our continued support, in principle, in relation to their attempts to reinstate the service. Discussions between officials in the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment continue on how best to progress the matter.

Freedom of Information

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his policy is in respect of the publication (a) on the departmental website and (b) by placing copies in the Library of (i) all or (ii) a selection of the information disclosed in response to freedom of information requests since January.

Paul Murphy: The Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments publish on the departmental websites information which is considered to be of wide public interest. In the case of information provided as a result of freedom of information requests, data protection principles are taken into account where it is appropriate to make the name of the requester anonymous. Such information may also be placed in the Library if it is considered to be of general interest to the House.
	Guidance on Publication Schemes, issued by the Department for Constitutional Affairs in July 2002, recommended that where information is disclosed to an individual in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act, Departments and NDPBs should consider whether the information disclosed is of general interest and include released information in the publication scheme where appropriate.

General Practitioners

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals completed general practice training in the Province in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: The total number of individuals completing general practice training in the Province in the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2004 46 
			 2003 41 
			 2002 36

Housing Executive

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many properties there are in the Housing Executive's Purpose Built Commercial Property Portfolio; what their value is; how many are (a) vacant, (b) let on a five year lease and (c) let on less than a five year lease; how many were acquired in each of the last five years; at what cost; how many were sold in each of the last 10 years; and what the total income from such sales was in each of those years.

John Spellar: There are 433 properties in the Housing Executive's Purpose Built Commercial Property Portfolio and are valued at £14,514,920.00. Of these 24are vacant, 318 are let on a five year or more lease and 84 are let on less than a five year lease (seven of which have no lease as they are being used by the Housing Executive). No properties have been acquired in the last five years. During the last 10 years the numbers sold with the annual income is as follows:
	
		
			  Number sold (unit) Annual income (£) 
		
		
			 2002 1 9,000.00 
			 2001 1 25,000.00 
			 2000 11 460,000.00 
			 1999 8 150,000.00 
			 1998 1 14,000.00 
			 1997 1 5,000.00 
			 1996 None 0 
			 1995 None 0 
			 1994 1 6,000.00 
			 1993 None 0

Housing Executive

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which posts, not including Housing Executive staff, are funded by the Housing Executive to assist local communities and residents' groups in each Northern Ireland constituency; who the occupants are of each post; what the length of service is in each case; and what the remuneration for each post is.

John Spellar: The name of the post holders and their length of service is personal data and constitutes exempt information under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and as such it would inappropriate to release it with out the consent of the postholder. However the following table provides the name of the organisation funded or partly funded by the Housing Executive during the 2004–05 financial yearand the amount of funding paid by the HousingExecutive. When organisations approach the Housing Executive for funding this normally covers more than just the salary. The amount of funding shown only includes costs paid by the Housing Executive that were associated with the post. The organisations are grouped by constituency based on the name of the group and/or the known area where it operates and compared with the names of the wards in that constituency.
	
		
			 Constituency/group name Housing Executive funding level (2004–05) (percentage) Amount of Housing Executive funding (£) 
		
		
			 Belfast, West   
			 Lenadoon 50 12,751 
			 Upper Springfield Resource Centre 50 10,250 
			 West Belfast Partnership Board 100 18,582 
			 Whiterock/Westrock 62 9,143 
			 Greater Shankill 100 18,200 
			 Tudor Renewal Residents Association 100 18,886 
			 Twadell/Woodvale 100 10,250 
			
			 Belfast, North   
			 New Lodge Housing Forum 100 21,100 
			 Ardoyne 100 17,000 
			 Lower North Belfast Community Council 50 11,400 
			 Concerned Residents Upper Ardoyne(63) 100 25,561 
			
			 Belfast, South   
			 Markets Development Association 50 5,640 
			 Greater Village Regeneration Trust 50 10,600 
			
			 Strangford   
			 Glen Ward Community Association 50 10,000 
			
			 Foyle   
			 Bogside/Brandywell Community Housing project 100 18,417 
			
			 Belfast, East   
			 Mersey Street Area Residents Association(64) 50 2,397 
		
	
	(63)The post has yet to be filled.
	(64)Current postholder has left employment and funding has been sought to fill the post in the 2005–06 year.

Jobskills Traineeships

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of young people enrolled on year three of a jobskills traineeship in Northern Ireland had found a full-time job by the end of that year in each year since 2001.

Barry Gardiner: The traineeship strand of the jobskills programme has a maximum training period of 78 weeks. Therefore the question is being answered on the basis of the number of young people who commenced a jobskills traineeship in each financial year since 2001 and, of those, the number who subsequently gained full-time employment.
	The number of young people who commenced a jobskills traineeship in each financial year since 2001 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2001–02 5,304 
			 2002–03 4,956 
			 2003–04 5,064 
			 2004–05 (65)4,464 
		
	
	(65)To date.
	The number and percentage of young people recruited in each of the above years that subsequently found a full-time job is as follows:
	
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 2001–02 3,018 57 
			 2002–03 2,806 57 
			 2003–04 (66)—; (66)—; 
			 2004–05 (66)—; (66)—; 
		
	
	(66)Too early to report.

Medical Negligence

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the number of deaths that resulted from medical negligence in the Province in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Medical Negligence

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the total annual cost to the Northern Ireland economy of medical negligence in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: Information in relation to the last three years is detailed in the following table:
	
		Amounts paid in settlements for clinical negligence claims from 2001–02 to 2003–04
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2001–02 7,415 
			 2002–03 13,550 
			 2003–04 15,194 
		
	
	The amount paid in any one year in respect of clinical negligence can vary considerably due to the uncertain timing of the settlement of cases.

Motorcycle Races (Funding)

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what public sector (a) funding and (b) support is being provided to (i) the International North West 200 and (ii) the Ulster Grand Prix at Dundrod motorcycle races in 2005; and what assessment he has made of the economic effects on the local economy.

Angela Smith: To date, £5,800 has been made available by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland through the 2 and 4 Wheel Motorsport Steering Group Ltd. for the North West 200 in 2005. The Northern Ireland Events Company (NIEC) and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) are presently considering applications for funding for the North West 200 and the NIEC is also considering an application for funding from the Ulster Grand Prix. Both the NIEC and NITB provide support to the organisers in developing these events.
	An economic impact study commissioned by NIEC estimated the economic impact of the North West 200 in 2002 to be in the region of £5.6 million. An appraisal of the impact of the Ulster Grand Prix in 2004 carried out by Tourism and Transport Consult indicated a benefit of £1.9 million. These are separate studies and it may not be appropriate to make exact comparisons.

Royal Ulster Constabulary

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) Roman Catholic and (b) Protestant members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary have been murdered by the IRA since 1 January 1975; and what percentage of the total numbers who have served in the Constabulary since 1975 each of those figures represents.

Ian Pearson: Between 1 January 1975 and 4 November 2001, 222 Royal Ulster Constabulary Officers were murdered by the Provisional IRA.
	Monitoring of the community background of employees only came into effect in 1989, and it is therefore not possible to define the percentage of those murdered officers who were serving in the RUC from 1975 to 2001 by community background.

Royal Ulster Constabulary

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the part-time RUC reserve were required to transfer to either the full-time reserve or the regular police service as a result of intimidation or other terrorist activity during the troubles.

Ian Pearson: There has never been provision for part-time reserve officers to transfer into the RUC full time reserve or the regular police service. Part-time reserve officers who wished to join the RUC full time reserve or regular police service had to resign and subsequently apply for and undertake the necessary training, as with any other applicant.

Royal Ulster Constabulary

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the part-time RUC reserve were forced to move home as a result of intimidation or other terrorist activity during the troubles.

Ian Pearson: From 1994 to date, a total of 16 part-time reserve officers were evacuated from their homes as a result of intimidation or other terrorist activity. There are no figures specifically relating to the PTR available for the period before 1994.

NHS Staff (Abuse)

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will introduce legislation to protect persons serving within the national health service from physical and verbal abuse.

Angela Smith: Legislation already exists under the Public Order (Northern Ireland) Order 1987 which includes offences such as assault, assault and battery, and grievous bodily harm, and offences in relation to conduct in public buildings.
	The Department has made it clear that it will not tolerate attacks on Health and Personal Social Services staff and expects employers to take reasonable steps to protect staff and to actively support staff who have been subjected to such incidents.
	There are no plans to introduce any further legislation. However, the Department continues to closely monitor the number of attacks on staff and will review the situation should the monitoring process highlight a growing trend.

Official Residences

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the official residences for which his Department is responsible; who occupies each one; what the annual cost is of running each property; what contribution the current occupants make towards the running costs of each; what the total capital and refurbishment expenditure has been on those properties in each of the past five years; how much money was spent in each property on (a) flowers and plants, (b) wine and entertaining, (c) food, (d) telephone bills and (e) electricity and gas in 2003–04; how many (i)domestic and (ii) maintenance staff are employed at each property, broken down by post; and what the total cost of staff employment at each was in 2003–04.

Ian Pearson: Hillsborough Castle is the official residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The facilities at the castle are also used to provide official hospitality, overnight accommodation and to carry out other official business. The range of activities can include political meetings, hospitality for visiting dignitaries, the Secretary of State's garden party, and citizenship ceremonies. In addition to its use by the Northern Ireland Office and other Government Departments, charities and local community groups can request to use the facilities, generally for fund raising purposes, and the castle and grounds are open at certain times of the year for guided tours.
	The total cost of running Hillsborough Castle in the 2003–04 financial year was £1,285,224.08. This includes the maintenance of the listed building and grounds; the security of the castle and its grounds and that of Ministers, officials and visitors while present at the castle. It also includes the cost hosting of the events listed above, as well as catering, hospitality and administration.
	The Secretary of State is on duty while at Hillsborough Castle and therefore his costs count as official expense.
	Records of expenditure on refurbishment are an integral part of the records that cover many other items of building maintenance and repair. It would be possible to identify only those items that relate specifically to refurbishment only at disproportionate cost.
	During the 2003–04 year £16,769.87 was spent on flowers and plants. This included plants and flowers for the 100 acre listed estate surrounding the castle and flowers for functions.
	A total £171,107.56 was spent on all catering and hospitality related items (the costs of food wine and entertaining not being separately available).
	£19,254.33 was spent on telephone system including calls, installations and maintenance.
	£64,360.56 was spent on power, including electricity, gas, oil and other forms of fuel.
	The total cost for all staff in the 2003–04 year was £660,715.61. There are currently the equivalent of 5.5full-time domestic staff employed at Hillsborough Castle but no maintenance staff.

Paramilitary Attacks

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many paramilitary attacks on individuals there have been in the Province in each week since October 2004.

Ian Pearson: The information requested is included in the following table.
	
		Security situation statistics: Number of casualties as a result of paramilitary style assaults and shootings per week
		
			 1 October to 31 December 2004 Paramilitary style assaults Paramilitary style shootings 
			 Week(67) By Loyalist(68) By Republican(68) Total By Loyalist(68) By Republican(68) Total 
		
		
			 1–7 October 2004 2 — 2 3 — 3 
			 8–14 October 2004 1 1 2 — — — 
			 15–21 October 2004 1 — 1 3 — 3 
			 22–28 October 2004 — 1 1 5 — 5 
			 29 October to 4 November 2004 1 3 4 2 — 2 
			 5–11 November 2004 3 2 5 1 — 1 
			 12–18 November 2004 1 — 1 — — — 
			 19–25 November 2004 1 2 3 1 — 1 
			 26 November to 2 December 2004 — 1 1 — — — 
			 3–9 December 2004 — 1 1 — — — 
			 10–16 December 2004 1 — 1 1 — 1 
			 17–23 December 2004 — — — — 1 1 
			 24–31 December 2004(67) 1 3 4 1 — 1 
			 Total 12 14 26 17 1 18 
		
	
	(67)Periods of one week/seven days; except 24–31 December which covers eight days.
	(68)Attribution is as perceived by PSNI based on the information available and does not necessarily indicate the involvement of a paramilitary organisation.
	Notes:
	1.At this stage statistics can only be validated up until end of December 2004.
	2.2004 statistics are provisional and may be subject to minor amendment.

Police Ombudsman

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions he has held meetings with the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman.

Paul Murphy: Since my appointment as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland I and my ministerial colleagues have met with the Police Ombudsman informally on a number of occasions, and I have had two formal meetings with her

Police Service of Northern Ireland (Ards)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers were stationed at Ards in each of the last six years.

Ian Pearson: The following is the total number of officers attached to Ards sub division/Ards DCU from 31 March 1999 to the present date. The figures include regular officers, full-time reserve officers and part-time reserve officers.
	
		
			  Number of officers 
		
		
			 31 March 1999 299 
			 31 March 2000 296 
			 31 March 2001 271 
			 31 March 2002 270 
			 31 March 2003 259 
			 31 March 2004 276.75 
			 3 February 2005 243.75 
		
	
	The reduction in 2005 is due to a number of cessations and transfers, plus a readjustment of numbers due to the HR Allocation Model used by PSNI.

School Transport

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his plans are for changing the free transport to school system for children in Northern Ireland from September; and what assistance he will offer to parents who risk suffering hardship as a result of changes.

Barry Gardiner: I have no plans to change the Home to School Transport arrangements in Northern Ireland from this September. The average cost of provision for eligible children in 2003–04 was over £600 per pupil totalling over £59 million. I have therefore asked the Department of Education to carry out a fundamental review of the service with a view to identifying the source of cost pressures and developing mechanisms for cost control. Thereafter, any proposed policy changes would be subject to public consultation and to rigorous equality testing. The introduction of any new arrangements would be publicised in advance.

Schools Building Programme

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will announce the new schools capital build programme and budget for 2005–06.

Barry Gardiner: No decision has been taken yet on the timing of the next announcement of schools capital allocations. The Department of Education is currently assessing the resources which would be available for the schools capital programme and establishing with the school authorities projects which would be eligible to be considered.

Schools Building Programme

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what new schools and colleges in the post-primary sector will be located in (a) Antrim town, (b) the Antrim district council area and (c) the Newtownabbey district council area in 2005–06.

Barry Gardiner: There are no plans to locate any new post-primary schools or colleges in the areas detailed in 2005–06.
	A capital scheme has been prepared by the North Eastern Education and Library Board for Parkhall College in Antrim town which will need approval for capital funding before it can proceed. Economic appraisals for proposed capital schemes for Crumlin High School, Ballyclare High School and the North East Institute are expected to be completed later this year. The East Antrim Institute has recently submitted to the Department for Employment and Learning an appraisal on accommodation requirements. The appraisal is currently being assessed by the Department.

Secondary Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Department of Education's (a) definition and (b) criteria are for classifying curriculum subjects and courses as (a) vocational and (b) academic in secondary schools in Northern Ireland.

Barry Gardiner: I have made clear previously that I do not believe neat definitions are possible. Schools will, however, be provided with clear guidance on which subjects will be regarded as general" or applied" for the purposes of the Entitlement Framework. A preliminary, illustrative list of general and applied courses was placed on the Department of Education website on 23 June 2004.

Secondary Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why development proposals for post-primary arrangements in Antrim include only controlled schools; and what the results were of community audits of such arrangements.

Barry Gardiner: There are currently no development proposals for any post-primary schools in Antrim.
	I am aware that following concern about the significant decline in the enrolment at Massereene Community College the North Eastern Education andLibrary Board (NEELB), which has responsibility forthe school, decided to explore options for the future of controlled secondary education in Antrim town. These options formed the basis of a consultation process carried out by the NEELB between September-November 2004.
	The consultation took the form of meetings and a questionnaire. The questionnaire sought views on the proposed closure of Massereene Community College and interim arrangements to transfer all pupils to Parkhall College. It also asked parents of children of compulsory school age their views on the current choice of secondary school provision in the Antrim borough council area and on integrated education.
	The NEELB has advised that the consultation identified opposition to the proposed closure of Massereene College and to the prospect of mobile accommodation on the Parkhall College site in order to accommodate the combined enrolments.
	The majority of parents who responded to the questionnaire said they were satisfied with the current choice of post-primary school in Antrim and a majority also indicated that they were supportive of integrated education, and would consider sending their children to an integrated post-primary school in the town.
	The results of the consultation are due to be considered shortly by the North Eastern Education and Library Board.

Secondary Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why postage-paid oversize reply envelopes provided for responses to the consultation on new admissions arrangements for post-primary schools used first class rates; and if he will estimate the costs of using second class post.

Barry Gardiner: A freepost envelope has been included with each response booklet to encourage people to respond. The initial distribution of documents inadvertently included freepost envelopes at first class rate (28p per response). Subsequent copies will contain envelopes at 2nd class rate which will cost the Department 21p per response. At this stage it is too early to predict the level of response to the consultation.

Secondary Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland upon what basis the consultation on the new admissions arrangements for post-primary schools is different from the consultation on the post-primary review carried out by his Department in 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The consultation in 2002 was in response to the Burns Report which made specific proposals about post-primary education. The current consultation seeks views on options for new admissions arrangements for post-primary schools.
	Over 14,000 copies of the consultation document have been issued so far covering a range of interests including schools, education partners, churches, political parties, MLAs, MPs, MEPs, community and voluntary groups, and libraries. All parents of school-age children have been given a leaflet providing them with details of the consultation and how they can respond to it. Advertisements have been placed in the three main newspapers (Belfast Telegraph, Newsletter, Irish News) giving details of the consultation.
	This is an important issue and I would encourage all those with an interest to consider the details of the consultation document and to submit their views to the Department of Education by 30 June.

Secondary Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money has been spent on the post-primary review to date, broken down by (a) pre-Burns Report, (b) from the Burns Report to the appointment of the Post-Primary Review Working Group (Costello) and (c) since; and how much has been paid to consultants providing services to the three groups.

Barry Gardiner: The Post-Primary Review was completed on 26 January 2004 when the Government announced they had accepted and were implementing the recommendations of the Post-Primary Review Working Group.
	A total of £1,464,000 has been spent on the post-primary review as follows:
	(a) £830,000 on research, the Post-Primary Review Body costs and the publication of the Burns report;
	(b) £419,000 on consultation about the recommendations of the Burns report; and
	(c) £215,000 on costs of the Post-Primary Review Working Group and the publication and distribution of the Costello report.
	Included are consultancy costs of £4,000 for work carried out to obtain young people's views about the Burns recommendations.

Staff Identity Passes

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of producing a staff identity pass was in the Department on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many staff identity passes have been reported lost or stolen in each year since 1997.

Paul Murphy: The unit cost of producing a staff identity pass in Northern Ireland is £2.41. Identity passes for staff based in London are not produced by the Department and their cost is assimilated within our annual rent.
	The number of passes reported by staff in the Northern Ireland Office as lost or stolen each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of passes reported as lost or stolen 
		
		
			 1997 12 
			 1998 5 
			 1999 20 
			 2000 27 
			 2001 20 
			 2002 12 
			 2003 21 
			 2004 20 
			 2005 (to date) 0 
		
	
	This reply relates only to the Northern Ireland Office and does not cover the 11 departments of the Northern Ireland Administration.

Suicides (North Belfast)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have committed suicide in north Belfast in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Registration year Death due to suicide and self-inflicted injury" Death due to undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted" Total deaths due to suicide and self-inflicted injury" or underdetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted" 
		
		
			 1997 7 0 7 
			 1998 7 1 8 
			 1999 13 4 17 
			 2000 11 2 13 
			 2001 13 0 13 
			 2002 10 2 12 
			 2003 14 1 15

Working Time Regulations

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials working in ministerial private offices in the Department have worked more than a 48 hour week at any time in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many of those had signed a waiver under working time regulations; and what percentage these figures represented of the total in each case.

Paul Murphy: The working time regulations provide workers with the protection of a limit of an average of 48 hours a week working time. This is not an absolute cap of 48 hours in any one week. This average is normally calculated over a 17-week reference period, although this can be longer in certain situations (26 weeks) and can be extended by agreement (up to 52 weeks). Workers may choose to work more than 48 hours a week over this reference period by signing an opt-out agreement, but employers cannot force a worker to sign an opt-out, and workers cannot be subjected to detriment for refusing to sign an opt-out.
	Six people have signed the opt-out agreement.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Business Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans the Government have to implement the 1997 Labour manifesto pledge on localising business rates.

Nick Raynsford: The Government have appointed Sir Michael Lyons to undertake an independent inquiry that will consider the detailed case for changes to the present system of local government funding and make recommendations on any changes that are necessary and how to implement them. The inquiry will make recommendations on how best to reform council tax and will, among other things, be conducting thorough analysis of options other than council tax for local authorities to raise supplementary revenue, including reform of business rates. Sir Michael is due to report by the end of this year, to my right hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor the Exchequer.

Child Poverty

Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is taking to achieve the Government's targets of (a) ending child poverty by 2020 and (b) halving it by 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Tackling disadvantage is one of the five key aims for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Achieving government child poverty targets is an important part of this work.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has made a significant input into the Child Poverty Review, which includes measures to contribute towards the long-term goal of halving and eradicating child poverty, including:
	a 50 per cent. increase in the rate of social house building by 2008 providing 10 000 extra dwellings per year as outlined in Sustainable Communities: Homes For All" to help achieve the target to halve the number of households living in Temporary accommodation by 2010;
	increasing investment in homelessness prevention;
	Providing £1.7 billion per year through the Supporting People (SP) programme to help vulnerable people sustain independent living including teenage parents or women fleeing from domestic violence, with benefit to their children;
	a £1.2 billion market renewal programme up to 2008;
	a new PS A target: by 2010, to bring all social housing into a decent condition.
	Progress
	The proportion of vulnerable households—including families with children—living in decent homes in the private sector, increased from 57 per cent. in 2001 to 63 per cent. in 2003. New data from English Housing Condition Survey confirms the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is ahead of expected progress towards its PSA target for the private sector.
	We have succeeded in ending the scandal of homeless families having to raise their children for long periods in cramped B&B hotels. There were 96 per cent. fewer families with children living long-term in B&B hotels in September 2004 than in March 2002.
	The Housing Act 2004 contains measures aimed at helping the most at risk from poor conditions and irresponsible landlords. Part 1 of the Act contains provisions to replace the housing fitness standard (also one of the criteria of the decent home standard) by an evidence based risk assessment procedure, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). HHSRS will help focus decisions about housing conditions on the hazards which impact on the health and safety of vulnerable occupants, including children. The measures are likely to be implemented this autumn.
	The Housing Act also enables us to amend the statutory overcrowding standards through secondary legislation. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to consult on this.

Departmental Policies

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out with statistical information relating as closely as possible to Chorley constituency the effects of his actions and policies on Chorley since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Along with other Government Departments, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to improving the lives of people across the whole of the UK. For example, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is determined that everyone should have the opportunity to have a decent home, and since 1997 we have reduced the number of non-decent homes nationally by one million.
	In the local government finance settlements since 1997–98, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been able to increase the amount of Government grant given to local authorities by £22.6 billion. This is a 33 per cent. increase in real terms. Since 1997–98 Chorley has received an average annual increase in formula grant of 4.4 per cent.
	The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood.statistics. gov.uk./.

Departmental Policies

Brian Sedgemore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Haltemprice and Howden constituency, the effects on Haltemprice and Howdenof his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Along with other Government Departments, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to improving the lives of people across the whole of the UK. For example, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is determined that everyone should have the opportunity to have a decent home, and since, 1997 we have reduced the number of non-decent homes nationally by one million.
	In the local government finance settlements since 1997–98, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been able to increase the amount of Government grantgiven to local authorities by £22.6 billion. This is a 33 per cent. increase in real terms. Since 1997–98 East Riding of Yorkshire has received an average annual increase in Formula Grant of 5.4 per cent.
	The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood.statistics. gov.uk./.

Departmental Policies

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Huddersfield constituency, the effects on Huddersfield of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Along with other Government Departments, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to improving the lives of people across the whole of the UK. For example, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is determined that everyone should have the opportunity to have a decent home, and since 1997 we have reduced the number of non-decent homes nationally by one million.
	In the local government finance settlements since 1997–98 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been able to increase the amount of Government grant given to local authorities by £22.6 billion. This is a 33 per cent. increase in real terms. Since 1997–98 Kirklees has received an average annual increase in formula grant of 4.8 per cent.
	The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood.statistics. gov.uk./.

Departmental Policies

Brian Sedgemore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Witney constituency, the effects on Witney of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Along with other Government Departments, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to improving the lives of people across the whole of the UK. For example, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is determined that everyone should have the opportunity to have a decent home, and since 1997 we have reduced the number of non-decent homes nationally by one million.
	In the local government finance settlements since 1997–98, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been able to increase the amount of Government grant given to local authorities by £22.6 billion. This is a 33 per cent. increase in real terms. Since 1997–98 West Oxfordshire has received an average annual increase in formula grant of 3.2 per cent.
	The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood.statistics. gov.uk./.

Fire Service

Philip Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department's estimate is of the total procurement cost for the proposed eight new English regional fire control rooms.

Nick Raynsford: The current estimate of the procurement cost for the proposed eight new regional control centres for fire and rescue services in England is £5.8 million, up to the time of award of contracts for control centre accommodation and infrastructure services. This includes the involvement of civil servants, secondees from the fire and rescue service, consultants and advisers such as lawyers and property experts in procurement activities, including the development of specifications and tenders. The chosen developers will make a contribution towards the design and other work carried out on their behalf by the project team.

Fire Service

Philip Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department's budget is for each of the next three financial years for providing financial assistance to fire and rescue authorities to enable them to maintain in operation communications and other mobilisation equipment that would otherwise be regarded as obsolete pending the introduction of the new Fire Control and FireLink systems in 2007–08.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has already undertaken a programme of work to replace higher risk items of the brigades' existing wide area radio systems, thereby ensuring that they continue to be operationally effective until they can be replaced by the national wide area radio system, Firelink. This will amount to up to £9 million by the end of financial year 2004–05. Funding for the next three financial years will be finalised following further risk assessments and dialogue with fire and rescue authorities about priorities.

Fire Service

Philip Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make an estimate of the expected net changes in costs to fire authorities in England and Wales as a resultof the implementation of the integrated risk management plans (a) approved by him last year and (b) submitted to him for approval this year.

Nick Raynsford: Under Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP) it is for each Fire and Rescue Authority to carry out a full risk assessment of its area and decide on the appropriate levels of provision and response times. Any cost savings will reflect those decisions. I am, however, satisfied that Fire and Rescue Authorities are making good progress in realising savings through IRMP. I have been assured by the Local Government Association and the Fire and Rescue Authorities that sufficient efficiencies will be delivered for 2006–07 to repay the £30 million transitional funding. For that reason the Government have agreed to defer recouping the £30 million until 2006–07.

Parliamentary Boundaries

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2005, Official Report, column 1294W, on parliamentary boundaries, on what date he intends to lay the Order implementing the changes.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently arranging the printing of the report together with a draft Order and will lay them before Parliament as soon as may be.

Publicity

David Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total expenditure by his Department on (a) advertising and (b) advertising and publicity was in (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98 and (iii) 2003–04; and what the estimated cost of each will be in (A) 2004–05, (B)2005–06, (C) 2006–07 and (D) 2007–08.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. In the financial year 2003–04 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent £3.4 million on centrally procured advertising and £10.7 million on advertising and publicity. The estimated cost for 2004–05 for advertising is £4.9 million and £12.6 million for advertising and publicity. The largest part of this has been for fire safety advertising campaigns.
	Budgets for 2005–06 and beyond have yet to be estimated.

Renewable Energy (Business Rates)

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received, and when, regarding the impact of changes to the calculation of business rates on the renewable energy sector; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister received representations on this issue from the Friends of the Earth and the World Wildlife Fund in December 2004 and from the Renewable Power Association in February 2005.

Rent Harmonisation

Philip Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the additional rent revenue forgone as a result of the decision to postpone rent harmonisation measures between council and housing association tenants until the end of 2005.

Keith Hill: No decisions have yet been made on the implementation of the proposals arising from the three-year review of rent restructuring. However, had we implemented the measures as consulted upon, the additional rent raised by councils in England during 2005–06 would have been approximately £70 million.

Telecommunications Masts

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1) what the grounds are on which a planning inspector may refuse permission for a telephone mast;
	(2)  under what criteria a planning application for a telephone mast can be refused.

Yvette Cooper: Planning applications will be decided by the local planning authority (or the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on appeal) in the light of development plan policies and any other material considerations, including any relevant representations either for or against the proposal.
	Material considerations in planning decisions must be genuine planning considerations, i.e. they must be related to the purpose of planning legislation, which is to regulate the development and use of land in the public interest. The considerations must also fairly and reasonably relate to the application concerned. Whether a particular consideration is material in any given case will depend on the circumstances. The courts are the arbiters of what constitutes a material consideration.
	The courts have also held that the Government's statements of planning policy are material considerations which must be taken into account, where relevant, in decisions on planning applications.

Telecommunications Masts

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he is able to call in a planning consent where the reasons for refusal of a planning application for a telephone mast have been contravened.

Yvette Cooper: The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 contains powers to enable a local planning authority to refuse to accept a repeat application where it has refused a substantially similar application and there has been no appeal against refusal to the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister. These will be brought into effect by a Commencement Order within the next few months.
	These provisions are designed to give local authorities discretionary powers to prevent developers submitting repetitive applications for undesirable projects in an attempt to wear down resistance. Local planning authorities should consider repeat planning applications where they are satisfied that a genuine attempt has been made to overcome the planning objections which led to rejection of the proposal on appeal.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the (a) projects and (b) measures in progress (i) to end the production of opium and (ii) to substitute the production of opium with a sustainable agricultural sector in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The UK, as lead nation, is committed to supporting the Afghan Government in the implementation of their comprehensive National Drug Control Strategy and, in particular, the 1384 (2005) Counter Narcotics Implementation Plan. President Karzai launched the plan during the visit of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to Kabul on 16 February. The eight pillars of the plan include the development of the criminal justice system, the creation of alternative livelihoods for farmers and strengthening interdiction and law enforcement measures. The UK and its international partners are supporting many projects across all of these strands. It is too early to make an assessment of cultivation in 2005 but due to a number of factors there may be reduced planting this year.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the written statement I made on Afghanistan: Counter Narcotics on 29 November 2004, Official Report, columns 17–18WS; I hope to make a further statement shortly.
	Since then, we have increased our efforts on alternative livelihoods for poppy growers to $50 million this year, bringing to $100 million the amount the UK is spending this year on counter narcotics activity in Afghanistan.
	The creation of alternative livelihood opportunities and an effective agricultural sector is crucial both forcounter narcotics efforts and for Afghanistan's longer-term development. An estimated 80 per cent. of the country's labour force are employed in the agricultural sector, though individuals' livelihoods strategies are often complex and may involve a number of different types of income generating activity. Action to develop licit alternative rural livelihoods must take place on many levels and include both long-term development and short-term measures.
	However, rural development assistance is provided to all provinces across Afghanistan through national programmes managed by the Ministry for Reconstruction and Rural Development (MRRD), funded from the national development budget (and, soon, the new Counter Narcotics Trust Fund) and supported by the international community. Each programme focuses on redeveloping the infrastructure and underlying conditions necessary for growth, the development of an effective agricultural sector and viable licit alternatives to poppy cultivation.
	Short-term seed delivery programmes are being implemented by donors, such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation. The World Bank recently committed US$75 million for quick disbursing activities on alternative livelihoods and is currently developing an accelerated integrated rural development programme.

Correspondence

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will replyto the letters dated 3 August and 20 October 2004 from the hon. Member for Brent East regarding Mr.John Bennett.

Bill Rammell: I replied on 18 February.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the (i) EEC-Ukraine Co-operation Committee, (ii) EC-Tunisia Association Committee and (iii) EC-Morocco Association Committee met; when and where each meeting took place; what UKGovernment expert was present at each meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: During this period, the EU-Ukraine Co-operation Committee met on 11 December 2003 in Kiev. There was no UK representative at this meeting, although the UK did participate fully in formulating the EU's position for the meeting. The EU-Tunisia Association Committee met on 18 November 2004 in Brussels and the EU-Morocco Association Committee met on 21 October 2003 in Rabat. The UK was represented at both meetings by Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Joint Committee (EC-Palestinian Authority) met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: No meetings of the EC-Palestinian Joint Committee took place during the Italian, Irish and Dutch presidencies.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the EC-Egypt Association Committee met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The EU-Egypt Association Agreement was ratified on 1 June 2004. No date has been set yet for the first meeting of the EC-Egypt Association Committee.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the ECC-Israel Association Committee met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: During this period, the EU-Israel Association Committee met on 9 July 2003 in Brussels. The UK was represented by an official from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

EU Opt-Outs

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which occasions since May 1997 the Government has opted into European Communities policy areas for which it previously enjoyed an opt-out.

Denis MacShane: The UK's Title IV (TEC) opt-in protocol allows the Government to choose which measures it will participate in under asylum, immigration and visa policies, and free movement of persons.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 June 2004, Official Report, columns 203–05W, to the right hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory) by my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Home Office (Mr. Browne) for a list of measures the UK has opted into.

European Constitution

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which declarations drafted by the United Kingdom were appended to the European Constitution; and what legal status they will have should the Constitution be ratified.

Denis MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the commentary on the treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (Command Paper 6459) (available in the Vote Office and at www.europe.gov.uk) which sets out all the declarations made in relation to the treaty and describes their status.

European Constitution

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those amendments submitted to the Convention on the Future of Europe by the UK Government representative which (a) appeared and (b) did not appear in (i) the final Convention text of the Constitution and (ii) the final text of the Constitution as agreed by member state Governments.

Denis MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 13 January 2005, Official Report, column 638W. The analysis of the EU constitutional treaty referred to in that answer has now been published as the commentary on the treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe and is available at www.europe.gov.uk.

Hong Kong

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) free and open elections and (b) the future of democracy in Hong Kong.

Bill Rammell: The Government supports democracy throughout the world as the best means of creating stable, accountable and transparent government, of protecting rights and freedoms, and of upholding the rule of law.
	The ultimate aim of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) is a Chief Executive and Legislative Council elected by universal suffrage. We have always favoured early progress to this end at a pace in line with the wishes of the people of Hong Kong. We hope that the Hong Kong SAR Government will take full account of the wishes of the people of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Ministers last visited Hong Kong; when Ministers last discussed Hong Kong with the Chinese Government; and what issues were discussed.

Bill Rammell: There is a regular flow of high level visits between the UK and Hong Kong. I visited Hong Kong in October 2004. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Hewitt), Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Margaret Beckett), the Leader of the House of Commons (Mr.Hain), my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mr. Morley) and my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Home Affairs (Baroness Scotland) all visited Hong Kong last year.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited China in January. He discussed Hong Kong's constitutional reform and progress towards universal suffrage with Premier Wen Jiabao and Foreign Minister, Li Zhaoxing. I also raised these issues when I visited China in July last year. During my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's talks with the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on 20 May 2004, both Governments reaffirmed their commitment to the implementation of the Joint Declaration and agreed to continue exchanges of view on the issue.

Hong Kong

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total estimated value of assets transferred to China was on the handover of Hong Kong.

Bill Rammell: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to him on 10 March 2004, Official Report, column 1530W.

Human Rights/Freedom of Worship

Clive Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of (a) China and (b) Vietnam on (i) human rights and (ii) freedom of religious worship; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The information is as follows:
	China
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised human rights with Premier Wen Jiabao and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing during his trip to China in January. He raised progress on the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. He raised the case of the Tibetan monk Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche. The case of Pastor Zhang Rongliang was also discussed.
	I raised human rights issues during my last visit to China in October 2004.
	Vietnam
	We regularly discuss human rights issues with the Vietnamese Government. We raise our concerns at every possible opportunity, both bilaterally and with our EU partners.
	We have an increasingly open dialogue with the Vietnam Government on a range of human rights concerns. The EU-Vietnam Death Penalty Seminar that took place in Hanoi on 24–26 November 2004 is an example of increasing Vietnamese willingness to discuss human rights issues.
	We also participate in regular EU-Vietnam Dialogue meetings on human rights issues, the latest of which was held on 17 December and attended by our ambassador in Hanoi. Freedom of religion, restrictions on religious organisations, the situation of Protestant groups, and fair trial procedures were among the concerns raised by the EU side. On 28 January the Vietnamese released four prisoners of conscience, who were among the EU's List of Prisoners of Concern, as part of a wider amnesty.
	We will continue to press the Vietnamese and Chinese Governments to adhere to their international human rights obligations at every suitable opportunity.

Kenya

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the resignation of John Githongo as head of Kenya's anti-corruption team.

Chris Mullin: We regret the resignation of the Permanent Secretary in the Office of Governance and Ethics on 7 February. John Githongo is a person of integrity, courage and principle intensely committed to fighting corruption.
	It is too soon to judge the full implications of his resignation, but the international community has expressed its serious concerns at the impact upon the Kenyan Government's anti-corruption work.
	We continue to encourage the Kenyan Government to give its full and undivided support to the country's anti-corruption institutions.

Macedonia

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement of the inclusion of Title 8710, tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles and parts, in the Communities/Macedonia Protocol set out in Official Journal L388 volume 47 of 29 December 2004.

Denis MacShane: The inclusion of Title 8710, tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles and parts in the Communities/Macedonia Protocol set out in Official Journal L388 volume 47 of 29 December 2004 has no particular significance. Protocols of this nature are based on the internationally agreed system of classification known as the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System of the Customs Co-operation Council.
	This nomenclature provides a systematic classification for all goods in international trade.

Nepal

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what proportion of Global Conflict Prevention Pool allocations to Nepal in the last three year has been spent on aircraft;
	(2)  what proportion of the Global Conflict Prevention Pool since its inception has gone on direct assistance to the Nepalese army.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 21 February 2005
	We have requested figures from the Ministry of Defence to allow us to reply on the points raised in this question. I will write to my hon. Friend with this information once it has been received.

Shipping Lines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's spending was in each of the last two years with the shipping lines (a) P&O, (b) Nippin Yusen Kaisha, (c) Mitsui Osaka Shosen Kaisha, (d) Orient Overseas Container Line and (e) Mediterranean Shipping Corporation.

Bill Rammell: All shipping is arranged by contractors. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services does not have any direct expenditure with the shipping lines cited. Identifiable expenditure for calendar years 2003–04 is shown in the following table. Substantial value is not attributable as much freight moves as part of consolidated loads. It is not possible to segregate the annual expenditure.
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 (a) P&O 95,248.06 
			 (b) Nippin Yusen Kaisha 0 
			 (c) Mitsui Osaka Shosen Kaisha 0 
			 (d) Orient Overseas Container Line 2,461.62 
			 (e) Mediterranean Shipping Corporation 41,973.51

Taiwan

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of Taiwan's trade relationship with China; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Taiwan and mainland China are important trading partners. Collectively mainland China and Hong Kong are Taiwan's leading trading partner (24 per cent. of total trade) followed by Japan (16.6 per cent.) and the US (14.6 per cent.). Taiwan's exports to Hong Kong and mainland China for January to November 2004 were US$58.6 billion (up 30.8 per cent. on the corresponding period of 2003). Taiwan's imports from Hong Kong and mainland China for January to November 2004 were US$16.8 billion (up 49.4 per cent. on the corresponding period of 2003).

Uganda

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he intends to (a) develop a relationship with the Ugandan opposition party the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and (b) meet the FDC leader Mr. Kizza Besigye.

Chris Mullin: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in London and Kampala are in regular contact with the FDC leadership and already have a productive working relationship.
	I met current members of FDC during my visit to Uganda last year. Their recently-elected interim chairman, Kizza Besigye, is currently in exile in South Africa. I have not yet had an opportunity to meet him.

Uganda

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the attempt by the President of Uganda to amend the Ugandan Constitution in order to secure a further term of office.

Chris Mullin: I raised this with President Museveni during my visit to Uganda in August and expressed concern at the direction of Uganda's political transition process.
	We continue to urge the Government of Uganda to ensure that political change follows the constitution, respects the rule of law and institutions of governance, and is free from physical intimidation or manipulation.

Uganda

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards a pluralistic civil society in Uganda.

Chris Mullin: Progress towards pluralism in Uganda has been slow. I raised our concerns with President Museveni during my visit to Uganda in August and stressed that the process of political change needs to carry the confidence of the Ugandan people and Parliament.
	We continue to urge the Government of Uganda to ensure that the process of transition follows the constitution, respects the rule of law and institutions of governance, and is free from physical intimidation or manipulation.

US Foreign Policy

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has made to assist those seeking to liberate themselves from tyranny and to build democracy" as requested by the US Secretary of State on 8 February; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The promotion of democracy, alongside human rights, the rule of law and good governance is a thread which runs through all of the Government's foreign policy. These issues are mainstreamed throughout everything the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does. At the strategic level, this is highlighted by two of the FCO's eight strategic priorities aiming to support the development of democracy and the rule of law (Strategic Priority 3: An international system based on the rule of law, which is better able to resolve disputes and prevent conflicts; and Strategic Priority 6: Sustainable Development, underpinned by democracy, good governance and human rights).
	At an operational level we adapt our approach onthese issues to reflect the situation in the countries inwhich we work. This might range from; what might be considered traditional diplomatic measures (e.g.advocacy; resolutions in international fora; or sanctions); it may mean technical capacity building to support an emerging democratic culture in a country with no history of participatory government; or it may mean working in partnership with more established democracies to reinforce democracy in third countries, or to improve transparency and accountability throughout the international system. We also promote democracy, human rights, the rule of law and good governance in international fora, and press countries to adhere to the commitments they've signed up to in these bodies.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Character Evidence

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs on how many occasions bad character evidence of a defendant has been allowed in evidence since the coming into force of section 101 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003; and on how many of these occasions bad character evidence has been allowed in evidence following a decision of the court.

David Lammy: The information requested is not held centrally.

Electoral Registration

Graham Brady: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people have opted for inclusion in the edited register of electors; and what percentage this is of all electors in the United Kingdom.

David Lammy: The Representation of the People Regulations 2002 provide that electors may opt out of the edited version of the register of electors if they do not want their details to be sold to anyone for any purpose. According to statistics provided by the Credit Reference Agencies 29.29 per cent. of eligible electors (representing 13,099,264 people) opted out of inclusion in the edited version of the register compiled in 2004. The official figures in respect of the number of electors included in the full version of the register on 1 December 2004 is due to be published by the Office for National Statistics on 24 February 2005.

Electoral Registration

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of letters electoral registration officers sent to (a) service personnel and (b) spouses of service personnel in the last year for which figures are available; and what method of distribution is employed for such letters to military bases.

David Lammy: This information is not collected centrally. Service personnel and their spouses may register either by way of a service declaration or as ordinary (or overseas) electors. There is no way of distinguishing between the latter and other electors. Royal Mail deliver letters to military bases in the UK. Bases overseas (and HM Ships) are allocated a British Forces Postal Service (BFPO) number. Letters with a BFPO address are posted in the normal way and delivered by the Royal Mail to BFPO Mill Hill London where they are forwarded under arrangements by the Defence Postal and Courier Service to the BFPO address.

Electoral Registration

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what records are kept of letters sent by electoral registration officers to service personnel.

David Lammy: This information is not collected centrally. Service personnel and their spouses may register either by way of a service declaration or as ordinary (or overseas) electors. There is no way of distinguishing between the latter and other electors. Electoral registration officers will usually keep locally records of registration, renewal letters and reminders to renewal letters posted to those personnel who are registered as service voters.

Electoral Registration

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what procedures electoral registration officers use to contact service personnel serving overseas.

David Lammy: Electoral registration officers (EROs) will write to whichever address has been supplied to them by the individuals concerned. If service personnel overseas have registered using a British Forces Post Office (BFPO) address, electoral registration officers would send letters to BFPO Mill Hill London by the Royal Mail where they would be forwarded under arrangements by the Defence Postal and Courier Service to the BFPO address.

Electoral Registration

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how often electoral registration officers are required to contact overseas service personnel about their electoral registration obligation.

David Lammy: Regulation 25(2) of the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 requires electoral registration officers to send annually a written reminder to service personnel who are registered by way of a service declaration, whether in the UK or overseas, of the need to make a fresh declaration if they wish to remain registered under this method. The reminder is sent to the address at which such personnel are recorded as being most recently resident.

SCOTLAND

Civil Servants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in his Department was in each year from 1997–98 to 2003–04 and what the estimated cost will be in each year from 2004–05 to 2007–08; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. All staff in the Office are on loan from other Government Departments or other bodies, who remain their employer. The Office has incurred no costs, to date, in relation to the enhanced early retirement scheme. Any future costs would be met by the individual's employer.

Cleaning

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the costs of cleaning the Department were in each year since it was established.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. The Office shares accommodation with the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland (OAG) and it is not possible to separate all expenditure between the Offices. Since 1 July 1999, direct expenditure on cleaning for the Scotland Office and OAG was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1999–2000(69) 35,199 
			 2000–01 42,145 
			 2001–02 37,753 
			 2002–03 43,732 
			 2003–04 46,663 
		
	
	(69)Part year

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent on official Ministerial (a) business cards, (b) headed paper and (c) compliment slips in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. The Office provides a number of services to the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland and it is not possible to separate all expenditure between both Offices. Since 1 July 1999, expenditure by Scotland Office Ministers and the Advocate-General for Scotland was as follows:
	
		£
		
			 Scotland Office/OAG 
		
		
			 Business cards 
			 1999–2000(70) 273 
			 2000–01 219 
			 2001–02 128 
			 2002–03 0 
			 Headed paper 
			 1999–2000(70) 381 
			 2000–01 1,287 
			 2001–02 625 
			 2002–03 858 
			 Compliment slips 
			 1999–2000(70) 80 
			 2000–01 0 
			 2001–02 148 
			 2002–03 216 
		
	
	(70)Part year
	
		£
		
			  Scotland Office OAG 
		
		
			 2003–04 0 0 
			 2003–04 110 189 
			 2003–04 0 62 
		
	
	(71)Part year

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent on postage by the Department in each year since it was established.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. The Office provides a number of services to the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland and it is not possible to separate all expenditure between both Offices. Since 1 July 1999, both Offices have spent the following on postage:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1999–2000 (72) 1,466 
			 2000–01 8,660 
			 2001–02 10,068 
			 2002–03 12,874 
			 2003–04 12,913 
		
	
	(72)Part year

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, have been made by his Department in each year since 1997; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. This information sought is not held in the form requested.
	All travel and subsistence is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.
	Information relating to overseas travel by Ministers is published on an annual basis. Information for the period 1 July 1999 to 31 March 2004 is available in the Library of the House. Information for the financial year 2004–05 will be published as soon as possible at the end of the current financial year.

Official Residences

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the official residences for which his Department is responsible; who occupies each one; what the annual cost is of running each property; what contribution the current occupants make towards the running costs of each; what the total capital and refurbishment expenditure has been on those properties in each of the past five years; how much money was spent in each property on (a) flowers and plants, (b) wine and entertaining, (c) food, (d) telephone bills and (e) electricity and gas in 2003–04; how many (i) domestic and (ii) maintenance staff are employed at each property, broken down by post; and what the total cost of staff employment at each was in 2003–04.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office is not responsible for any official residencies.

Parking

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent on (a) provision of parking spaces for civil servants and (b) parking tickets and penalties incurred by civil servants in the Department in each year since it was established.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since that date, the Office has incurred no expenditure on parking ticket penalties for civil servants. The Office pays £5,250 per year for car parking spaces as part of the rental for its offices in Edinburgh.

Queen's Flight

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions departmental Ministers have used the Queen's Flight in each of the past five years.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since that date, no Scotland Office Minister has used the Queen's Flight.

Staff Training

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the costs of departmental (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department were in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Most of its staff are on loan from the Scottish Executive or the Department for Constitutional Affairs who continue to provide access to training and development opportunities. The Scotland Office does not hold information in the form requested; however, the total direct expenditure on training was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1999–2000(73) 7,539 
			 2000–01 14,695 
			 2001–02 12,570 
			 2002–03 25,202 
			 2003–04 23,483 
		
	
	(73)Part year

Stationery

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much the Department and its predecessors spent on (a) stationery and (b) office supplies in each year since it was established.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. The Office provides a number of services, including stationery and office supplies, to the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland (OAG). Prior to 2003–04, expenditure by OAG was not held separately.
	Since July 1999, the Scotland Office (SO) and OAG have spent the following on stationery and office supplies:
	
		£
		
			 SO and OAG 
		
		
			 1999–00 (74) 22,207 
			 2000–01 25,270 
			 2001–02 24,478 
			 2002–03 25,294 
			 2003–04 
			 SO 16,858 
			 OAG 5,485 
		
	
	(74)Part year

DEFENCE

Aircraft Carriers

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what responsibilities have been accorded to each of the alliance members in the future aircraft carrier programme.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 21 February 2005
	Discussions continue on the responsibilities of the alliance participants, which are being developed progressively and will be detailed in the final alliance agreement. This will be completed prior to the main investment decision, which we currently anticipate taking place in the latter half of 2005.

Allied Rapid Reaction Corps

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops are declared to the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.

Adam Ingram: The United Kingdom contributes 226 members of staff to Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC), out of a total of 449. The UK's 1 Signal Brigade is also dedicated to HQ ARRC to provide support, and consists of seven and 16 signal regiments and the ARRC Support Battalion; a total of 1,650 personnel. For an operational deployment, the ARRC may draw on forces from the UK and other NATO nations as required by the mission.

Asian Tsunami

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost would have been of providing an RAF flight to repatriate to the United Kingdom bodies of British citizens who lost their lives in the tsunami in Thailand.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has not provided a repatriation service for tsunami victims and given the large number of possible variables, cannot estimate what the cost would have been had it done so. Families wish their loved-ones to be returned to them as soon as possible. The quickest and most efficient way of meeting the families' wishes is through the use of commercial airline operators.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many visits there have been to the US by personnel from the Atomic Weapons Establishments during the last 12 months; and how many visits of US personnel to the AWE there have been during that time.

Adam Ingram: There have been 180 visits to the United States by personnel from the Atomic Weapons Establishment during the 12 months ending January 2005. In the same period there were 128 visits by US personnel to the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which facilities in the US have been visited by personnel from the Atomic Weapons Establishments during the last 12 months.

Adam Ingram: Atomic Weapons Establishments personnel visited 29 facilities in the United States during the 12 months ending January 2005. These were:
	National Nuclear Security Administration
	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
	Sandia National Laboratories Livermore
	Los Alamos National Laboratory
	Honeywell Kansas City Plant
	Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque
	NWSC Seal Beach
	Savannah River Site
	Y-12, Oak Ridge
	Pantex
	Titan Corp.
	Mission Research Corporation
	Brookhaven
	Laser Technology Inc.
	ITT Colorado
	ITT Washington
	Defense Threat Reduction Agency
	Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space
	Air Force Research Laboratory
	Visidyne
	Nevada Test Site
	Naval Research Laboratory
	ITT Crystal City
	New York Port Authority
	LLE Rochester
	Washington Group International, Princeton
	New Brunswick Laboratory
	Manufacturing Sciences Corp., Oak Ridge
	Remote Sensing Laboratory

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Atomic Weapons Establishment personnel are assigned to the US as part of the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement; and where they are located.

Adam Ingram: Numbers of the United Kingdom personnel stationed in the United States under the auspices of the 1958 MDA vary in line with operational and other requirements. There are currently no such assignments of personnel from the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

BAE Systems (Contracts)

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value was of the Joint Repair Management Team contract awarded to BAE Systems in January 2003 at RAF Cottesmore.

Adam Ingram: £570,000.

BAE Systems (Contracts)

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value is of the Joint Repair Organisation contract awarded to BAE Systems in June 2004 at RAF Cottesmore.

Adam Ingram: £17 million.

Catering Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on (a) entertainment lunches involving civil servants and guests and (b) working lunches, in each year since 1997.

Ivor Caplin: Working lunches have to be specifically approved in advance by a budget holder against a clear business need and in strict accordance with departmental instructions. The cost of such lunches are not however recorded separately on the Department's financial systems and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Chelsea Barracks

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his plans are for the future of Chelsea Barracks.

Ivor Caplin: There is a requirement to provide improved accommodation for personnel working in public duties in London. The proposal to redevelop Chelsea Barracks through PFI ended unsuccessfully in August 2004.
	Work is now in hand on a number of options to meet the requirement, including the redevelopment of Chelsea. I expect to announce the outcome shortly.

Clothing Contracts

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2005, Official Report, column 729W, on clothing contracts, how many items of battle dress under the cut and sew contract have been delivered by the factory in China including (a) printing and (b) fabric manufacture; and whether the fabric samples tested for the contract originated from Belgium.

Adam Ingram: No deliveries of combat clothing items have yet been made under the Cut & Sew contract. Deliveries are due to commence in late February 2005, as per the contract delivery schedule.
	Again I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 20 December 2004, Official Report, column 1372W, the garment tests I previously referred to on 8 December 2004, Official Report, column 156WH, related to the testing of fabric samples that were printed and manufactured in China. Under the terms of the contract I cannot specifically comment on sub-contractor details, however, I can confirm that samples provided during the tender process utilised fabric from a variety of sources, both in the UK and overseas.

Defence Aviation Repair Agency

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is his policy that all Tornado F3 programmes are to be carried out at the Defence Aviation Repair Agency St. Athan.

Adam Ingram: Depth support for the Tornado F3 will remain as it is at present split between the Front Line units and DARA St. Athan until the aircraft's Out of Service date.

Defence Aviation Repair Agency

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost is of replicating the Defence Aviation Repair Agency St. Athan capability at RAF Marham.

Adam Ingram: It is not intended to replicate the DARA St. Athan facilities at RAF Marham, but to provide Depth maintenance facilities to support the Tornado GR4 aircraft fleet.

Defence Management Board

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library the Defence Management Board balanced scorecard reports for each quarter since April 2000;
	(2)  what the Defence Management Board's (a) strategic objectives and (b) associated performance measures were for financial years 2001–01 to 2003–04; and what they are for financial year 2004–05.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence's strategic objectives, together with the associated targets and performance measures, are set out in the Department's Public Service Agreements (PSA) for 1999–2002, 2001–04 and 2003–06. These targets are at the core of the Defence Balanced Scorecard. The PSAs are available at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk. Performance against PSA targets is reported formally to Parliament in Departmental Spring and Autumn Performance Reports. For the MOD the Spring Performance Report has usually been incorporated within The Government's Expenditure Plans", and since 2002–03 the Autumn Performance Report has been incorporated within the Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts", The Autumn Performance Reports also include detailed reporting against the full range of Defence Balanced Scorecard objectives. All these reports for financial years 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 should be in the Library of the House, and are also available at www.mod.uk. The MOD's Government Expenditure Plans for 2005–06 to 2007–08" will be published in the spring. The Annual Report and Accounts for 2004–05" will be published in the autumn. In addition, in accordance with Treasury requirements, information on PSA performance since the first quarter of 2003–04 has been published quarterly on the Treasury website.

Dentistry

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the ratio is of military personnel to service dentists; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 21 February 2005
	The current ratio of military personnel to service dentists is 1012:1.

Departmental Costs

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate the Department has made of the financial effects of the proposed restructuring process between 2008 and 2013;
	(2)  what the projected costs between 2008 and 2013 are of the proposed (a) heavy (warrior) battalion, with high-tech upgrade, (b) medium (FRES battalion, with heavy-lift aircraft capability and (c) light (airportable) battalion, with high-tech network-capable upgrade.

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the projected costs per annum of the proposed new (a) heavy (warrior) battalion with high-tech upgrade, (b) medium (Future Rapid Effect System) battalion with heavy-lift aircraft capability and (c) light (airportable) battalion with high-tech network capable upgrade; and what estimate the Department has made of possible savings from the proposed restructuring process.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence is continually restructuring. Currently this is being taken forward in the context of the Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities White Paper, published in July 2004. This set out our requirement for flexible and adaptable Armed Forces supported to carry out the most likely expeditionary operations. In order to better meet these operational requirements we are reducing force levels in certain capabilities in order to invest more in higher priority capabilities. The overall financial effect of the restructuring process will be that we are able to spend more on those capabilities able to deliver the effects we require. That will mean we are able to deploy our resources to optimum effect. Overall, the Spending Review 2004 settlement provided a 3.7 billion increase to the Defence budget. This represents the longest period of sustained real growth in defence spending for over 20 years.
	In the Land environment, there will be a shift in emphasis to Light and Medium Weight forces in line with our operational requirement for greater adaptability and flexibility. In order to facilitate this re-balancing there will be a reduction in Heavy Weight capability.

European Multinational Formations

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those headquarters units of European multinational formations to which the United Kingdom is not a party to which a liaison officer has been attached since May 1997.

Geoff Hoon: Since May 1997, of the European multinational formations to which the UK is not a party, and which are outside the NATO command and force structures, only Eurocorps has had a UK liaison officer. As indicated in my reply to the hon. Member of 27 January 2005, Official Report, columns 539–40W, there was a UK liaison team with Eurocorps from 2000–04.

Guantanamo Bay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of flying the released British detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the United Kingdom was.

Adam Ingram: Costs arising from the use of RAF aircraft to return released British detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the United Kingdom on two occasions amounts to some £170,000 in total.

Harriers GR7

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the conversions and repairs of Harrier GR7 at BAE Warton are on schedule.

Adam Ingram: The overall programme remains on schedule for completion by the end of 2005.

Heroes Return Programme

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals have participated in the Heroes Return programme in Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber; and at what cost.

Ivor Caplin: The Big Lottery Fund has made a total of 12 grants with a combined value of £17,755. This funding has enabled 30 people from the Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber constituency to participate in the Heroes Return scheme.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the incidents that have led to compensation being paid to Iraqi people in the sector occupied by British forces for (a) death, (b) injury and (c) destruction of property.

Adam Ingram: As at 4 February 2005, the Ministry of Defence had paid 245 claims for compensation made by Iraqi civilians as follows:
	(a) Death 11 (nine as a result of road traffic accidents; two as a result of accidental shootings)
	(b) Personal injury 34
	(c) Property damage 200
	The papers relating to these claims are not held centrally and therefore it has not been possible to list individual incidents.

Iraq

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the circumstances surrounding the Hercules crash in Iraq;
	(2)  when the air accident investigators will complete their work on the Hercules crash in Iraq; and when he will publish it.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be in a position to make a full statement on the crash of the RAF C-130 Hercules in Iraq on 30 January.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 15 February 2005
	It would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of the tragic crash of the Hercules C130K in Iraq on 30 January. The investigation is under way and will consider all the evidence before coming to any conclusion. It is impossible to say how long the investigation will take at this stage; the emphasis must be on exploring every possible avenue to help determine the cause of this crash.

Japan

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the (a) level and (b) nature of military contacts with Japan.

Adam Ingram: The UK has an important, and developing, bilateral defence relationship with Japan. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received the Director General (Defence Minister equivalent) of the Japanese Defence Agency for talks in London and has in turn visited Japan. Exchanges take place at Chief of Staff level across all the services. Pol-mil Defence Staff talks are established on a regular cycle, as are single service staff talks. Given the constraints in the Japanese constitution there have been no joint military exercises. However, we have given advice and assistance to Japan in the context of her peace support mission in southern Iraq, where the Japanese contingent works within the framework of MND(SE).

Military Clothing

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2004, Official Report, column 1372, on military clothing, for what reason the prime contractor has decided to withhold sub-contractor information.

Adam Ingram: In the early stages of establishing its supply chain, the prime contractor wishes to maintain the competitive advantage it has achieved and it considers this information to be commercial in confidence.
	The terms of the contract prohibit the Ministry of Defence from disclosing this information without the consent of the prime contractor.

Morson

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel Morson have employed at (a) RAF Cottesmore and (b) RAF Marham; and what work they are undertaking.

Adam Ingram: No Morson International staff are employed by the Ministry of Defence at either RAF Cottesmore or RAF Marham.

Mutual Defence Agreement

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the Joint Working Groups established under the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement in which personnel from the Atomic Weapons Establishment participate.

Adam Ingram: Personnel from the Atomic Weapons Establishment participate in the following Joint Working Groups (JOWOGs) under the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement:
	Radiation Simulation and Kinetic Effects Technology
	Energetic Materials
	Nuclear Materials
	Warhead Electrical Components and Technologies
	Non-nuclear Materials
	Nuclear Counter Terrorism Technology
	Facilities
	Nuclear Weapons Engineering
	Nuclear Warhead Physics
	Computational Technology
	Aircraft, Missile and Space System Hardening
	Laboratory Plasma Physics
	Manufacturing Practices
	Nuclear Warhead Accident Response Technology
	Nuclear Weapon Code Development
	Nuclear Weapon Environment and Damage Effects
	Methodologies for Nuclear Weapon Safety Assurance

Mutual Defence Agreement

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when and where in the UK the next Stocktake review meeting under the 1958 UK/US Mutual Defence Agreement is scheduled to take place.

Adam Ingram: The date and venue for the next Stocktake meeting has yet to be arranged.

QinetiQ

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what actions his Department is taking to maximise the return to public funds from the Department's shareholding in QinetiQ.

Adam Ingram: A key feature of the original Defence Evaluation and Research Agency Public Private Partnership was to bring in a strategic partner to improve the management of QinetiQ and help grow the business in preparation for its transfer to the private sector. Although the Ministry of Defence continues to hold a majority equity stake in QinetiQ, operational control of the company is exercised by The Carlyle Group as the Government's strategic partner. This injection of private sector resource and expertise is contributing to the growth of the company and hence to the value of the Government's shareholding.

RAF Defensive Aid Suites

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what requests he has had from the Royal Air Force to upgrade defensive aid suites.

Adam Ingram: We have well-tried and effective arrangements for addressing urgent operational requirements identified by the front line commands. For example, for operations in Iraq advanced counter-measures have been fitted to the RAF's Tristar passenger aircraft and to the C-17 fleet.

RAFT Project

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what environmental assessments (a) were carried out before and (b) have been carried out during the lifetime of the RAFT project;
	(2)  how much had been spent on the RAFT project at the date of its cancellation; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: At the time of the suspension of Remote Ammunitioning Facility Tamar in 2002, £15 million had been spent on works (covering design, ammunition clearance, dredging and site preparation). Subsequent cancellation and project management costs have increased expenditure to a total of £25 million and this has been highlighted as a potential constructive loss in the departmental annual accounts for financial year 2003–04.
	A number of environmental assessments were carried out prior to the commencement of the RAFT project. The first in 1996, was carried out by Babtie, the Ministry of Defence's Project Manager. In 1998, the Babtie Group carried out a desktop archaeological study to review the potential effect of RAFT on existing scheduled monuments at Bullpoint. This was followed by a supplementary report on the effects of RAFT dredging on potential buried archaeological artefacts in peat deposits in the riverbed. An Ecological Study, also in 1998 and carried out by Panscape Consultancy, considered the potential impact of RAFT on the key habitats and species in Plymouth Sound and its estuaries. In addition, a Baseline Environmental Survey of Estuarine Sediment and Benthic Macrofauna, carried out by Zeneca and which supplemented the Ecological Study, assessed the potential environmental impact of dredging on surface sediments and resident worms. In 1999, an extensive hydraulic modelling study was undertaken by Hydraulics Research Wallingford, which covered the potential effects of dredging on the River Tamar (in particular on the salmon), the inter-tidal habitats of the Tamar and the salt marshes in the Upper Tamar estuary. A detailed sedimentation study was carried out of the whole tidal extent of the Tamar rather than just the local area of RAFT. The conclusions and results were overseen by an independent expert appointed by English Nature.
	In 2000, during the lifetime of the RAFT project and following award of the construction contract, a Conservation Management Plan was jointly produced with English Nature and the Environment Agency. In support of this plan, extensive mitigation measures were applied, including noise pollution monitoring of the surrounding areas and water quality monitoring in the River Tamar, during the dredging. The Environment Agency has recently confirmed that, as a result of this mitigation, there have been no permanent effects on fish stocks in the river.

Research Expenditure

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department's research spending was directed towards conflict prevention in 2003–04.

Adam Ingram: Preventing conflict is a key objective for the Ministry of Defence (MOD). It underpins the successful delivery of the defence aim, to deliver security for the people of the United Kingdom and the Overseas Territories, and to act as a force for good by strengthening international peace and stability. Consequently, much of MOD and the armed forces' operational and non-operational activity, together with the associated research work and military equipment development and procurement programmes that support these activities, contribute in some way to HMG's wider conflict prevention efforts around the world. This is particularly true of the work that MOD carries out in conjunction with FCO and DFID through the separately funded Conflict Prevention Pools. More information on this activity can be found on the FCO website.
	As we do not collate information on research activity in the way requested, it would be disproportionately expensive to provide a more detailed breakdown.

Salisbury Plain

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much land in the Salisbury Plain area is rented by his Department to farmers; and what the average rent is per hectare.

Ivor Caplin: 25,110 hectares of land on Salisbury Plain are let to farmers on agricultural agreements. The average rent is £42.97 per hectare.

Shipping Lines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's spending was in each of the last two years with the shipping lines (a) P&O, (b) Nippin Yusen Kaisha, (c) Mitsui Osaka Shosen Kaisha, (d) Orient Overseas Container Line and (e) Mediterranean Shipping Corporation.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has no requirement to retain spend information against individual shipping lines. Also, while some bookings may be made direct with shipping lines, others are placed through agents/freight-forwarders and spend will be recorded against them and not the shipping lines used. As the MOD operates a financial regime of disaggregated budgets, bookings can be made by units throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. For these reasons the spend requested is not held centrally or in a form which could be easily extracted and without disproportionate cost. The only spend information readily available is that against P&O shipping companies for invoices submitted through the Defence Bills Agency which is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Financial £ million 
		
		
			 2002–03 2.697 
			 2003–04 2.143 
			 2004–05 (75)1.677 
		
	
	(75)To date.

Tornado F3

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts were awarded to BAE systems relating to Tornado F3 in December 2004; and whether those contracts were put out to competition.

Adam Ingram: The Tornado F3 Sustainment Programme contract was awarded to BAE Systems in December 2004. The contract was not subject to competition as only the Design authority was deemed capable of prime contracting.

Tornado GR4

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether primary star servicings on Tornado GR4 jets are being transferred to front line squadrons.

Adam Ingram: Work to consider this option is on-going.

Tornado GR4

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Investment Appraisal of the E2E review of air support which recommended rolling forward the Tornado GR4 including transferring work to RAF Lossiemouth.

Adam Ingram: It did not. The Investment Appraisal looked at two options for Tornado GR4. These were rolling forward support to RAF Marham or rolling back support to DARA St. Athan. For Tornado GR4 the decision was to roll depth support work forward to RAF Marham.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Aircraft Charters

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much money his Department has spent on chartering aircraft in each of the past five years.

Maria Eagle: All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	Travel by Ministers makes clear that special flights may be authorised when a scheduled service is not available, or when it is essential to travel by air, but the requirements of official or parliamentary business or security considerations or urgency preclude the journey being made by a scheduled service. In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The list published in 1999 covers the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 1999. Where RAF/private charter aircraft are used this is shown in the list. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2004–05 will be published in due course.
	The Department has incurred no costs for chartering aircraft.

Benefit Processing Centres

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to make a decision on the location of benefit processing centres; and what assessment he has made of the merits of Inverness as a possible site.

Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. David Stewart, dated 22 February 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning the decision on the location of Benefit Processing Centres and the suitability of Inverness as a site. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	On 16 September 2004, the Secretary of State announced the locations for Benefit Processing Centres in the UK. Inverness was among the 8 selected locations in Scotland. Subject to further detailed planning, it remains our intention to undertake processing work in the Inverness site.
	I hope that this is helpful,

Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to the letter of 29 October 2004 from the hon. Member for Northavon on behalf on a constituent, Mr. Matthews, regarding benefit provision for carers.

Alan Johnson: I replied to the hon. Member today.

Council Tax Benefit

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much council tax benefit remained unclaimed by pensioners in London in each year since 1997, broken down by constituency; and what plans he has to redistribute these sums to the relevant claimants;
	(2)  what measures are in place to ensure pensioners are made aware of sums available to them through council tax benefit.

Chris Pond: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Estimates of the total amount council tax benefit that went unclaimed in 2002–03, the latest year for which information is available, can be found in the Department's report entitled: Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2002–03"; copies of which are available in the Library.
	Council tax benefit already makes a valuable contribution in providing financial security for nearly 5 million households responsible for paying council tax. But encouraging those who are still to claim is very much at the heart of our agenda. This is why we launched a campaign in the lead-up to last year's council tax billing round. And why we are continuing to support local authorities in the lead up to, and during, this year's billing round, to make sure they have procedures in place locally to encourage people to apply.
	We have already issued new versions of the posters and flyer with the headline Cut your Council Tax—Find out if you should be paying less" and have arranged for the flyer to go out with the winter fuel payment letters to around 12 million pensioners in around eight million households.
	We have contacted over 20,000 organisations that deal with older people, to update them on the continuing campaign to raise awareness of council tax benefit, and have arranged for the flyer to be available via displays in doctors' surgeries. Electronic versions of the flyer are also available for local authorities to download and customise to include in with this year's council tax bills if they do not already have their own local products.
	A further round of press advertising, some national but mainly regional, started in January, with a second round of regional advertising due to start in early March, again to coincide with the issue of the council tax bills.
	The Pension Service are already doing much to promote council tax benefit take-up, from issuing a housing benefit/council tax benefit claim form to everyone who calls the pension credit application line and wishes to claim, to helping people fill in this form when visiting pensioners to take a claim for pension credit.
	The Link-Age Programme (which is building an integrated network of services for older people) is joining up existing service providers to offer a more holistic service to pensioners. Partnerships are being developed between The Pension Service and local authorities and joint teams of staff from both organisations are already operational in over 30 local authority areas, and are being rolled out nationally.
	A new £13 million fund—The Partnership Fund—was launched on 25 January 2005, providing up to two years' funding to around 170 organisations across Great Britain to finance local initiatives to improve take-up of older people's benefits, particularly those in hard to reach groups.
	The Pension Service have also recently provided local authorities with details of those people in their area claiming pension credit but not claiming housing benefit or council tax benefit, for authorities to use to complement their own take-up activities.

Departmental Expenditure

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

Maria Eagle: Most equipment used by the Department is not leased but obtained via service contracts. Most office equipment is provided under serviced accommodation arrangements under the 20-year PRIME PFI partnership for estates management services or under other facilities management contracts. IS/IT and telephony equipment is not leased but provided or sourced under long-term service contracts. The Department does enter into leasing agreements for some other equipment, principally photocopiers, but these arrangements are made at local level. The information on these arrangements required to answer the questions is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of refurbishments in his Department was in each year since 1997; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

Maria Eagle: DWP was formed in June 2001 from the former Department of Social Security (DSS) and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment, including the Employment Service (ES). Information for the period prior to June 2001 refers to the former DSS and ES.
	The available information on the costs of refurbishments since 1997 is in the table.
	
		
			  Total (£ million) 
		
		
			 1997–98 52.4 
			 1998–99 14.6 
			 1999–2000 23.3 
			 2000–01 23.7 
			 2001–02 77.8 
			 2002–03 175.3 
			 2003–04 179.7 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Expenditure on refurbishments increased in 2002 when the Department embarked on a major modernisation programme funded by the Treasury to improve the way in which DWP services are delivered to the public. The physical surroundings of several of the businesses within DWP are being changed, including Jobcentre Plus, The Pension Service and Debt Management Services. The total spend is a combination of major refurbishments to buildings and smaller, business-related refurbishment works costs.
	2.Health and Safety Executive figures are included from 2002 when they joined DWP.
	The available information on estimated future expenditure on refurbishments is in the table.
	
		
			  Total (£ million) 
		
		
			 2004–05 73.1 
			 2005–06 307.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.These figures are estimates and may be subject to change.
	2.The estimates include expenditure for Jobcentre Plus rollout, the Health and Safety Executive and the Rent Service which became part of DWP in April 2004. Estimated costs for other business related refurbishment works are not included as they are not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost
	3.The anticipated increased spend in 2005–06 is due to an expected increase in the number of Jobcentre Plus offices to be rolled out during the year.

Design

Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who the ministerial design champion for his Department is.

Chris Pond: I am the design champion for the Department for Work and Pensions.

Disabled People (Middlesbrough)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how many disabled people will receive the personal budget for disabled people in the constituency of Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East.

Maria Eagle: Prime Minister's Strategy Unit Report Improving the life chances of disabled people" sets out the Government's commitment to introducing, over time, new arrangements for individualised budgets for all disabled people. More work is needed to develop the detail of these arrangements and the Department of Health, supported by this Department and the office of the Deputy Prime Minister, will be developing early pilots to start testing the feasibility of this new approach.
	The Strategy Unit report was published on 19 January 2005, and is available in the Library.

DLA

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who were disabled before their 65th birthdays were unable to claim disability living allowance because they were incapable of doing so because of illness or other reasons in the last period for which figures are available; and what the main reasons for inability to claim were.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is not available.

Electronic Devices

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many electronic devices are owned by the Department, broken down by type.

Maria Eagle: The Department owns the following electronic devices:
	
		
			  Number of devices 
		
		
			 Desktop PCs 149,000 
			 Laptops 11,000 
			 Servers 6,000 
			 Printers 27,000 
			 Communications room equipment 6,495 
			 Projectors 990 
			 Large and specialist monitors 4,187 
			 Scanners 579 
			 Photocopiers 491 
			 Order book printers 349 
			 Giro writers 118 
			 Mobile phones 14,005 
			 Palmtops 55 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Figures collected 23 November 2004.
	2.The number of desktop PCs, laptops, servers and printers is constantly changing due to new installations and the removal of obsolete equipment, which creates a time lag for updating the Department's records. The figures provided are therefore estimated.
	3.In addition to those items listed, the Department has a range of private finance initiative and leasing contracts in respect of computer equipment, advanced telephony services, photocopiers, franking machines and mobile phones which are used by, but not owned by, the Department.
	4.Lower cost electronic devices purchased which fall below the de minimus level for capitalisation (£5,000 except for ex ES assets which is £2,500), are treated as consumables and detailed information on numbers is not available.

Entertainment Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation;
	(2)  how much has been spent on (a) entertainment lunches involving civil servants and guests and (b) working lunches, in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was formed in June 2001 from the Department of Social Security (DSS) and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) including the Employment Service (ES).
	Expenditure on official hospitality, entertainment of non-civil servants, is not collected at the level of detail requested. The available information on official hospitality expenditure, including working lunches, is in the table.
	All expenditure on official hospitality and on working lunches is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting.
	
		£
		
			  Official hospitality(76) Working lunches(77) 
		
		
			 1997–98 46,000 — 
			 1998–99 86,000 — 
			 1999–2000 327,000 — 
			 2000–01 127,000 — 
			 2001–02 155,000 — 
			 2002–03 250,000 722,000 
			 2003–04 123,000 867,000 
		
	
	(76)Figures for 1997–98 to 2000–01 refer to the former DSS and ES.
	(77)Working lunch expenditure information is only available for the two most recent financial years because the predecessor Departments accounted for this type of expenditure in different ways.

Five-year Strategy

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which, under the plans published in his Department's five year strategy, existing incapacity benefit claimants would be able to move from incapacity benefit to (a) rehabilitation support allowance and (b) disability and sickness allowance;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of existing claimants who would seek to move from incapacity benefit to (a) the rehabilitation support allowance and (b) the disability and sickness allowance under the plans set out in the Department's five year strategy.

Maria Eagle: No estimate has been made of the numbers who would seek to move from incapacity benefit to rehabilitation support allowance or disability and sickness allowance. We will explore and discuss with stakeholders how best to incentivise existing claimants to access the support on offer to help them return to work. As part of this we will make any necessary changes to the linking rules to support the new arrangements.

Five-year Strategy

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether people who would be entitled to statutory sick pay under the present system would receive (a) SSP and (b) the new holding benefit under the plans set out in his Department's Five Year Strategy.

Maria Eagle: People who would be entitled to statutory sick pay under the present system would remain entitled to statutory sick pay under the reforms to the incapacity benefits as set out in our Five Year Strategy. We intend to ensure that statutory sick pay provides the right incentives to employers to rehabilitate people and get them back to work quickly.

Five-year Strategy

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what exceptions he plans to the requirement for claimants of his proposed disability and sickness allowance to attend work-focussed interviews; and what sanctions he expects will be applied where there is non-compliance.

Maria Eagle: We would expect to continue with the current arrangements for waiving and deferring mandatory work-focused interviews that currently apply within the Pathways to Work pilots and Jobcentre Plus generally. We would also expect that the current sanctions regime applicable to any failure to take part in a work-focused interview without good cause would equally apply.

Freedom of Information

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is in respect of the publication (a) on the departmental website and (b) by placing copies in the Library of (i) all or (ii) a selection of the information disclosed in response to Freedom of Information requests since January.

Maria Eagle: Guidance on Publication Schemes, issued by the Department for Constitutional Affairs in July 2002, recommended that where information is disclosed to an individual in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act, Departments and NDPBs should consider whether the information disclosed is of general interest and include released information in the Publication Scheme where appropriate.
	The Department for Work and Pensions now has arrangements in place for information that is of wider general interest, and which has been released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, to be posted on its internet site where it will be readily accessible. There are no plans to place such information in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures his Department is implementing to encourage those claiming incapacity benefit to return to work if they are able to do so.

Maria Eagle: The Government's vision is to deliver a fundamental change in the way that people with a health condition or disability, but who want and are able to work, are given support to find, remain and progress in employment. We believe that everyone who wants and is able to get back to work should be helped and enabled to do so.
	Our groundbreaking Pathways to Work programme provides intensive help and support to people on incapacity benefits who want to work again. In December 2004 we announced a significant extension of the Pathways to Work pilots to include an additional 14Jobcentre Plus districts starting from October this year.
	Building on the expansion of Pathways to Work we have announced a number of measures as part of the Five Year Strategy that will improve incapacity benefits in order to ensure that there are clear rewards for moving into work, and that will address the anxieties many claimants have about trying out a job by minimising the risks. We recognise that a person's health condition can affect their ability to work in varying degrees, sometimes making work very unlikely, but sometimes leaving a good prospect of a return to work.

Incapacity Benefit

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the percentage of incapacity benefit claims that subsequently proved to be unsubstantiated in the last year for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The level of fraud in incapacity benefit is very low, estimated at less than 3 per cent. of expenditure when last measured.
	Evidence of fraud in incapacity benefit is investigated thoroughly. This resulted in 613 prosecutions in 2003–04.

Incapacity Benefit

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he plans to take to discourage general practitioners from issuing sick notes that support dubious incapacity benefit claims.

Maria Eagle: The vast majority of GPs provide advice on fitness for work which they believe to be in the best interests of their patient. The Department has recently revised the guidance to doctors about providing advice to patients on fitness for work and appropriate certification. This guidance is supported by case examples and evidence based recovery times and is available on the Department's website.
	The Department also works with GPs, royal medical colleges and universities in developing undergraduate and post graduate training materials to support doctors in
	providing appropriate advice.

Incapacity Benefit

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what ways changes to incapacity benefit will affect long-term claimants.

Maria Eagle: The reforms to incapacity benefits, as set out in the five year strategy, will apply to new claimants only. However, existing claimants, including long-term claimants, would be able to access the help and support on offer to help them return to work.

Incapacity Benefit

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Bridgwater constituency were claiming incapacity benefit in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		All incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance claimants in the Bridgwater parliamentary constituency, at the quarter shown
		
			 As at 31 August: Number 
		
		
			 1997 3,300 
			 1998 3,500 
			 1999 3,500 
			 2000 3,400 
			 2001 3,600 
			 2002 3,900 
			 2003 3,800 
			 2004 3,700 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2.Claimant figures include all incapacity benefit, severe disability allowance and credits-only cases.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. data

Incapacity Benefit

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on the number of people leaving incapacity benefit of the means-testing of new claims.

Maria Eagle: Incapacity benefit is not a means-tested benefit.

International Labour Organisation Report

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the findings of the report on Forced Labour and Migration to the UK.

Chris Pond: Our initial assessment is that the draft report, because for example it is based on a very small number of interviews, does not present a balanced view of current UK policy, law and practice and that some of the recommendations are very difficult to justify. Officials, having consulted officials from other relevant Government Departments, are responding to the ILO on the detail, and we will make a further assessment when they have completed their discussions.

IT (Disciplinary Procedures)

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in his Department have (a) received official warnings and (b) faced disciplinary procedures following breaches of IT policy in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: Information is not collected on the number of DWP staff who have received official warnings following breaches of IT policy.
	Information on DWP staff who have faced disciplinary procedures following breaches of IT policy is available from July 2003. The information is in the table.
	
		Staff in the Department who have faced disciplinary procedures following breaches of IT policy
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 July 2003 to March 2004 253 
			 April 2004 to September 2004 171 
		
	
	All DWP staff are subject to the Department's Standards of Behaviour statement which is based on the Civil Service Code.
	The Department's Electronic Media policy sets out the conditions for the official and personal use of the Department for Work and Pensions' Information Technology (IT) and covers intranet, internet, email, work PC and laptop.
	Both the Department's Standards of Behaviour and Electronic Media policy are available and publicised on the DWP intranet site.
	All forms of misconduct are dealt with under the Departments disciplinary policy and procedures. The Department's disciplinary policy includes, under gross misconduct:
	misuse of the internet, intranet or email, including accessing, storing or sending material that is illegal, obscene, pornographic, incites violence or reflects/promotes hatred.
	If anyone in the Department is charged with or convicted of a criminal offence they are required to inform their manager straight away.
	When an offence comes to light consideration is given to establish whether restriction of duties, transfer or suspension from duty is appropriate and what disciplinary action is required. Failure to report a criminal caution can of itself be treated as a disciplinary offence.

Job Centres

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which job centres (a) are due to be closed and (b) are due to remain open; what the timescale is for those remaining open to become Jobcentre Plus; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Simon Hughes, dated 21 February 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning our plans for closing and retaining Jobcentres, and the timescale for completing the transformation of Jobcentre Plus. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	I have placed in the Library a list of sites planned for closure as part of the Jobcentre Plus rollout programme and activity to centralise benefit processing. This list includes a number of sites which are closing through merging with co-located offices. While the majority of these sites will be disposed of in due course, a number will be retained by Jobcentre Plus to accommodate non-customer facing activity.
	I have also placed in the Library a list of our planned Local Service Outlets—those customer-facing offices providing access to our services. This listing includes what we refer to as Flexible Service Delivery sites, where we are working with local partners to provide access to services through third party premises.
	I should stress that this is a snapshot of our plans based on the best information available. The lists of offices will inevitably change as we progress through rollout of the new, integrated service and continue to refine our plans for centralising benefit processing in Jobcentre Plus. For example, a significant number of the site closures are dependent on construction of new buildings or acquisition of new premises and these are often subject to delays and other issues. I would also expect the number of Flexible Service Delivery sites to increase significantly as we conclude local discussions with partners on arrangements.
	We continue to review the plans for our network as the reducing headcount is impacted on all parts of the business, and we may have to reconsider the future viability of a number of sites in this context. Completing the rollout of the new service and centralising benefit processing at the same time is a challenging programme of work and I can assure you that providing customer service is at the centre of decisions we make. We will also ensure that local stakeholders are kept informed of progress and any changes to our plans.
	We are shaping the future Jobcentre Plus network in response to the changing business need. The need for face-to-face facilities for jobsearch and other aspects of our business has been superseded in many instances by new business processes and the use of information technology. For example, over the last 12months we have seen an increase of over 40 per cent. in the number of hits on our jobsearch website. Encouraging our customers to use these new channels enables us to focus on those customers who need greatest help, through the intervention of personal advisers, for example.
	You will see from the lists that we will retain a significant network of offices through which customers can access our services. Our current forecast is that when rollout is complete the total number of outlets from which our services can be accessed is likely to be around 1,000. On present plans, our network will be substantially complete by the Summer of next year.
	I hope this summary of both the current position and our future plans is helpful.

Jobseekers (Nairn)

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in the Nairn Jobcentre area are (a) in receipt of jobseeker's allowance and (b) required to sign on in person.

Jane Kennedy: As at December 2004 there were 174 jobseekers allowance claims in Nairn Jobcentre Plus Office including clerically held cases. There is one postal case, all others are required to attend in person.
	However, it should be noted that in the period from 29 November 2004 to 8 April 2005, Nairn is piloting alternative methods to the current Fortnightly Jobsearch Review. Customers' participation in the pilot is voluntary and, for the 20 or so involved at any one time, less frequent attendance in person is allowed.

Jobseekers (Nairn)

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consider the Nairn and District area for a future telephone pilot project for jobseeker's allowance.

Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. David Stewart, dated 22 February 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question on whether Nairn and District Area can be considered for a future telephone pilot for Jobseeker's Allowance. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	I should explain that our Highland, Islands & Clyde Coast District, which includes Nairn, has 3 current pilots testing variations, including use of telephony, to the existing Fortnightly Jobsearch Review. Nairn is among the selected pilot locations along with Inverness, Buckie and Clydebank. Customer participation is voluntary and the position in Nairn is that about 20 customers are involved at any one time with 6 or 7 joining or leaving in a typical week.
	The pilots aim to assess the impact alternatives to the current Fortnightly Jobsearch Review, such as maintaining contact by telephone and less frequent attendance in person, have on our core activity of helping people back into work. The pilots began in Inverness, Buckie and Clydebank on 11 October 2004 and in Nairn on 29 November 2004. A full evaluation of the outcomes, including whether the arrangements are suitable for wider implementation, will be carried out after the pilots end on 8 April 2005. At this stage I cannot confirm whether Nairn and District Area will continue with the pilot after 8 April 2005. I have asked the Manager for the Highland, Islands and Clyde Coast District to keep you informed.
	I hope that this is helpful.

Ministerial Stationery

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on official ministerial (a) business cards, (b) headed paper and (c) compliment slips in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The Department's accounting systems cannot differentiate the cost of official ministerial business cards, headed paper and compliment slips from other printing and stationery costs.
	All expenditure incurred in the purchase of ministerial stationery is made in accordance with the departmental guidance on financial procedures and proprietary based on the principles set out in Government Accounting.

Mobile Phones

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of staff mobile phone bills was in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 13 January 2005, Official Report, column 624W.

National Insurance Numbers

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Workand Pensions 
	(1)  how many national insurancenumbers have been issued to (a) non-British EU citizens and (b) non-EU citizens in each month since January 2004;
	(2)  how many national insurance numbers have beenissued to British citizens in each month since January 2004.

Chris Pond: Annually, DWP receive from Inland Revenue's National Insurance Recording System a breakdown of overseas nationals entering the UKallocated a National Insurance Number. The latest information we have is up to and including May 2004 and is in the table.
	
		National insurance numbers issued to non British EU and non EU citizens -- Number
		
			  January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 
		
		
			 Non-British EU Citizens 8,000 7,600 11,700 6,400 8,000 
			 Non-EU 24,900 24,400 39,100 21,300 20,400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2.Allocations to Accession Country nationals are included as non-EU between January-April, then EU from May.
	3.Not all National Insurance Numbers allocated by DWP are registered on NIRS2 e.g those allocated to pensioners.
	4.Details from June 2004 to May 2005 are not yet available.
	Source:
	Supplied to DWP by Inland Revenue from the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS2)
	Most citizens born in the United Kingdom receive their National Insurance Number (NINO) automatically at age 15-years and nine months through a link with the Inland Revenue Child Benefit system. Approximately 700,000 NINOs are allocated each year through this process.

Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of pension credit receive the severe disability amount; and what proportion they represent of all pension credit recipients.

Maria Eagle: At 31 August 2004, the most recent date for which this figure is available, approximately 584,600 households in receipt of pension credit in Great Britain, comprising 625,800 individuals, were in receipt of the extra amount payable to those with severe disability. These figures represent 22.4 per cent. of the total number of households in receipt of pension credit at that date and 19.8 per cent. of the corresponding number of individuals.
	Notes:
	1. Data has been taken from a 5 per cent. sample and is subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, Department for Work and Pensions

Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners are (a) in receipt of carer's allowance and (b) have an underlying entitlement to carer's allowance; and what proportion each represents of all pensioners.

Maria Eagle: The requested information is in the table.
	
		Carer's allowance: recipients and underlying entitlement" cases of state pension age in Great Britain at 31 August 2004
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Number of recipients 23,235 
			 Number of recipients as a percentage of all pensioners 0.2 
			 Number of underlying entitlement cases 197,305 
			 Number of underlying entitlement cases as a  percentage of all pensioners 1.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.State pension age is currently 60 for females and 65 for males.
	2.CA is paid in full to people of state pension age who do not have a state pension or at a reduced top up" rate where state pension is paid at a lower weekly rate than CA. CA is not paid where the weekly rate of state pension equals or exceeds the weekly rate of CA. Such cases are known as underlying entitlement" cases.
	3.The percentages of pensioner population have been calculated using ONS mid 2003 population estimates for males aged 65 and over and females aged 60 and over in GB.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 and percentages to one decimal place.

Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of pension credit are (a) in receipt of carer's allowance and (b) have an underlying entitlement to carer's allowance; how many receive the carer's allowance; and what proportion they represents of all recipients in each case.

Maria Eagle: The information is given in the table. At 31 August 2004 there were a total of 429,600 recipients of carer's allowance.
	
		Pension credit recipients also in receipt of or with an underlying entitlement to carer's allowance, Great Britain, 31 August 2004
		
			  Households in receipt of pension credit As a percentage of all pension credit households Individual recipients of pension credit As a percentage of all individual pension credit recipients 
		
		
			 In receipt of carer's allowance 13,690 0.5 22,870 0.7 
			 With an underlying entitlement to carer's allowance 76,430 2.9 125,240 4.0 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Data has been taken as at August 2004, the latest date for which the relevant carer's allowance figures are available.
	2.Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	3.Figures for households in receipt of pension credit also in receipt of or with underlying entitlement to carer's allowance (i.e. the figures in the second column) exclude cases where the person to whom the pension credit award has been made is not the same as the person to whom the award of carers allowance has been made (i.e. where the partner of the pension credit recipient is in receipt of or with underlying entitlement to carer's allowance).
	4.Individual recipients may include a small number of partners under the age of 60.
	5.Carer's allowance is paid to people of state pension age where there is no entitlement to state pension or where state pension is paid at a lower rate than carer's allowance. If a low state pension is paid, a reduced rate of carer's allowance will be paid as a top-up.
	6.Carer's allowance is not paid where the weekly rate of state pension equals or exceeds the weekly rate of carer's allowance. Such cases are known as underlying entitlement" cases.
	Source :
	IAD Information Directorate, 100 per cent. sample.

Social Fund

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the National Audit Office report on the social fund published on 13 January; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: We welcome the report from the NAO; it recognises that the social fund plays an important role in helping people in financial hardship and is reaching many of those in greatest need. The report found that there were £3 million social fund payments made in the last financial year at a total cost of £854 million and acknowledges that the Department recovers the majority of social fund debt. Many of the recommendations in the report are already being taken forward.
	Jobcentre plus intend to introduce a standard operating model for the social fund from April 2005, currently being piloted in Wales. Along with new management indicators from April 2004, the model aims to maintain and, where necessary, improve the speed and quality of decision making and customer service.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the speeches his special advisers made in an official capacity between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004, broken down by date.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 21 December 2004, Official Report, column 1743W.

Staff Vacancies

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on advertising staff vacancies in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003.

Maria Eagle: The information is not collected centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.